ve  Triumphant 


Pierre  de  Coulevain 


OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  I.OS 


**\J  r£> 

From  the  French  of 

Pierre  de  Goulevain 

By 

Alys   Hallard 


G .  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  and  London 

3be    "Knickerbocker    press 
1912 


COPYRIGHT,  1902 

BY 

G   P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


-Knickerbocker  prew,  -Rew  fiorfc 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE 

THIS  brilliant  story  was  first  brought  into 
print  in  an  English  version  in  1902,  at 
which  time  it  secured  from  reviewers  and  from 
cultivated  readers  of  high-class  fiction  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic,  very  favourable  attention. 
The  novel  had,  before  being  translated,  gained 
the  much-coveted  title  of  being  crowned  by  the 
French  Academy.  Since  1902,  the  works  of  the 
clever  woman  who  writes  under  the  name  of 
Pierre  de  Coulevain  have  secured  an  extended 
appreciation  from  English-speaking  readers.  Her 
stories  are  recognised  as  not  only  graphic  and 
trustworthy  pictures  of  social  conditions  in 
France,  but  as  typical  of  human  nature  through- 
out the  civilised  world.  Eve  Triumphant  pre- 
sents a  study  of  international  relations.  The 
portrayal  of  the  characters — French,  Italian, 
and  American — is  exceedingly  vivid.  While  the 
story  may  be  described  as  a  study  of  social 
problems,  it  is  characterised  by  a  delicacy  of 
touch  and  a  sense  of  humour  which  make  it 
thoroughly  readable. 

NEW  YORK,  April,  1912. 


2129613 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  *AGE 

I.  THE  PARTING  OP  THE  WAYS     .  .      1 

II.  TRAINING  FOR  SOCIETY       .        .  .24 

III.  THE  UBIQUITOUS  STRANGER        .  .     48 

IV.  As  OTHERS  SEE  Us  .        .        .  .65 
V.  THE  PARIS  OF  THE  FOREIGNER  .  .     85 

VI.  THE  CROSSING  OF  Two  LIVES    .  .  100 

VII.  FEMININE  DIPLOMACY        ...  113 

VIII.  THE  LOST  PURSUER  REAPPEARS  .  .  119 

IX.  COUNT  SANT'  ANNA  .        .        .  * '  .  126 

X.  IMPERVIOUS  TO  DANGER     .        .  .  134 

XI.  THE  UNTASTED  FRUIT        .        .  .  140 

XII.  THE  UNANSWERED  LETTER         .  .  156 

XIII.  CHRISTMAS  AT  THE  CHATEAU    .  .  161 

XIV.  A  DIFFERENT  LELO    ....  171 
XV.  A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS      .        ,  .179 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XVI.  THREE  PEOPLE  IN  LOVE     .        .  .  189 

XVII.  AN  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN         .  .  203 

XVIII.  THE  CULMINATION  OF  A  ROMANCE  .  215 

XIX.  A  WOMAN'S  SELF-POSSESSION    .  .  231 

XX.  UNDER  SCRUTINY       ....  241 

XXI.  A  CRISIS  FOR  MRS.  RONALD      .  .  262 

XXII.  AN  INCIDENT  AT  MONTE  CARLO  .  271 

XXIII.  HER  FIANCE'S  PEOPLE        .        .  .  278 

XXIV.  LOVE,  THE  TYRANT    .        .        .  .283 
XXV.  THE  COMING  EVENT  .        .        .  .290 

XXVI.  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  A  NEW  LIFE  .  301 

XXVII.  THE  REFUGE  OF  THE  CHURCH  .  .  305 

XXVIII.  THE  FAMILY  AND.  THE  NEWCOMER  .  315 

XXIX.  A  PARTISAN  OF  THE  WHITES    .  .  331 

XXX.  OLD  SCENES  AND  NEW  IDEALS  .  .  346 

XXXI.  THE  FATE  OF  A  PORTRAIT        .  .  358 

XXXII.  THE  BRAHMIN  OF  RUE  BOCCADOR  .  367 

XXXIII.  «  TITANIA'S  FOLLY  "  .        .        .  .375 

XXXIV.  AN  ANONYMOUS  LETTER  .  386 


CONTENTS  vii 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXXV.     SEEKING  PROOF         .        .        .        .400 

XXXVI.    CHUMS  OP  OLD 416 

XXXVII.     TITANIA  CURED 439 


Eve  Triumphant 


CHAPTER  I 

THB  PARTING   OP  THE   WAYS 

'THERE  is  scarcely  a  society  woman  in 
1  America  who  has  not  some  artistic  hobby 
or  some  specialty  in  matters  of  elegance.  One 
has  a  weakness  for  bronzes  or  ivories,  another 
for  tapestries  or  quaint  old  silks ;  some  are  noted 
for  their  china  and  silver,  and  others  for  their 
jewellery  or  lace. 

Nearly  all  are  enthusiastic  collectors  who  come 
to  France  and  despoil  the  Old  World  relentlessly 
of  its  relics.  Thanks  to  these  women,  the  art 
treasures  of  America  are  increasing  with  the 
most  fabulous  rapidity,  and  the  vile  dollar  is 
constantly  being  transformed  into  rare  and 
valuable  objects. 

Helen  Ronald,  the  wife  of  one  of  the  future 
celebrities  of  the  United  States,  was  considered 
an  authority  on  matters  of  house  appointments 
and  decorations.  She  flattered  herself  that  she 
could,  if  occasion  should  ever  require  it,  make 

i 


2  Eve  Triumphant 

her  fortune  by  offering  her  services  in  questions 
of  taste  to  parvenus.  Her  house  in  New  York 
was  situated  in  that  part  of  Fifth  Avenue  in 
which  are  the  residences  of  the  great  million- 
aires. It  looked  out  on  Central  Park,  with  its 
velvety  lawns  and  stately  trees.  By  the  side  of 
the  Gould  and  Vanderbilt  mansions  it  appeared 
somewhat  small  and  unpretentious,  but  it  was 
none  the  less  a  marvel  of  good  taste  and  comfort. 

Helen  was  always  busy  with  her  home,  touch- 
ing it  up  here  and  there  like  some  work  of  art, 
altering  the  furniture  in  one  room,  and  adding 
a  picture  or  some  ornament  in  another.  She 
was  delighted  to  show  any  one  over  it  from 
garret  to  cellar,  but  the  room  in  which  she  took 
the  greatest  pride,  and  upon  which  she  had  ex- 
pended all  the  wealth  of  her  feminine  genius, 
was  her  own  dressing-room.  Some  people  might 
have  considered  it  too  luxurious-looking,  but  an 
artist  would  have  delighted  in  it.  The  walls 
were  covered  with  a  greyish-blue  shot  brocade, 
and  the  floor  with  one  of  those  Morris  carpets 
which  appear  to  be  strewn  with  real  flowers. 
The  panels,  picture-frames,  and  furniture  were 
all  of  polished  whitewood,  as  smooth  and  warm- 
looking  as  ivory,  inlaid  with  salamanders,  exotic 
birds  and  butterflies  with  variegated  wings,  the 
colours  of  which  harmonised  with  the  blue,  pink, 
and  yellow  silks  of  the  curtains,  cushions,  and 
chairs. 

Against  this  background  of  soft  neutral  tint 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  3 

were  hung  water-colour  pictures  by  the  first 
masters,  while  on  the  mantel-shelf  old-fashioned 
bowls  and  odd-shaped  vases  of  Dresden  china 
stood  out  in  relief.  Upon  the  dressing-table, 
with  its  large  mirror,  were  laid  out  all  the  toilet 
accessories  in  gold,  silver,  and  light  tortoise- 
shell,  the  toilet-cover  itself  being  of  old  Venetian 
point. 

If  by  any  possibility  some  European  had 
crossed  the  threshold  of  this  sanctuary,  he  would 
most  certainly,  at  the  first  glance,  have  fancied 
himself  in  the  boudoir  of  some  celebrated  Pa- 
risian demi-mondainc;  but,  provided  he  were  en- 
dowed with  that  sixth  sense  which  penetrates 
people  and  things  like  the  Rontgen  rays,  he 
would  quickly  have  recognised  underneath  all 
this  suspicious-looking  luxury  and  refinement 
the  pure  atmosphere  and  that  unmistakable 
something  which  reveals  a  lady. 

Mrs.  Eon  aid  was  just  the  woman  that  a  colour- 
ist  would  have  placed  in  this  brilliant  and  ultra- 
modern scene.  It  needed  her,  with  her  graceful 
figure,  always  exquisitely  dressed  even  when  in 
bedroom  attire;  her  shapely  head,  with  its  fair 
hair  glinting  with  all  shades  of  gold;  her  deli- 
cate white  skin;  her  large,  soft  eyes  with  the 
winning  smile  in  them,  and  her  beautiful  clear- 
cut  lips  showing  the  perfect  teeth.  It  needed 
just  that  head,  which  gave  an  impression  of 
blondeur  and  light;  that  face  of  a  charmer,  a 
coquettish  woman,  ennobled  as  it  was  by  the 


4  Eve  Triumphant 

pure,  wide  forehead,  indicating  intelligence  and 
intellectual  power. 

One  evening  towards  the  end  of  March,  Helen 
was  dressing  for  the  opera.  Her  gown  was  of 
a  very  soft  shade  of  yellow,  cut  low  at  the  neck, 
and  showing  to  perfection  her  beautiful  shoul- 
ders. Seated  in  front  of  her  mirror,  she  was 
giving  the  last  touches  to  her  attire.  Just  as 
she  was  curling  some  stray  locks  for  the  second 
time,  another  figure,  that  of  a  tall  man  with 
black  hair  and  blue  eyes,  was  suddenly  reflected 
in  the  glass.  It  was  Mr.  Ronald,  who  had  en- 
tered the  room  by  the  door  opposite. 

"  Ah,  Henry !  "  exclaimed  his  young  wife,  stop- 
ping short  in  her  curling  operations,  "  you  are 
late,  are  you  not?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  had  a  very  busy  afternoon." 

They  shook  hands  with  each  other  in  an  affec- 
tionate way,  and  then  the  new  comer  threw  him- 
self into  a  rocking-chair  which  appeared  to  be 
his  special  property,  and  which  was  placed  by 
the  dressing-table,  with  its  back  to  the  light. 

"  Well,  dearest,  have  you  enjoyed  yourself 
to-day?  "  he  asked,  in  the  kindest  tone. 

"  Pretty  well !  Mrs.  Barclay's  luncheon  was 
very  brilliant  and  very  lively.  Quite  a  success ! " 

"Did  you  abuse  us  poor  men?" 

"  We  did  not  talk  about  you  at  all." 

"  That 's  worse,"  remarked  Mr.  Ronald, 
smiling. 

"  We   were   discussing   a   lot   of   interesting 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  5 

things.  European  women  would  never  imagine 
that  a  ladies'  luncheon  party  could  be  so  lively." 

"  They  have  not  yet  learned  to  do  without  us." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  them,"  retorted 
Helen,  with  an  expression  that  toned  down  the 
impertinence  of  her  remark. 

"  We  had  a  capital  meeting  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  our  Congress." 

"  Ah ! " 

"  Rauk,  of  Boston,  made  a  remarkable  speech. 
He  went  through  all  the  discoveries  of  modern 
chemistry,  and  gave  us  an  idea  of  those  which 
the  future  is  reserving  for  us ;  and  then  he  spoke 
of  the  role  and  the  mission  of  men  of  science. 
I  never  heard  anything  so  masterly." 

Helen  had  been  quietly  following  the  thread 
of  her  own  thoughts. 

"  Only  fancy !  "  she  said ;  "  at  Mrs.  Barclay's 
luncheon  there  was  Bohemian  glass  on  the  table 
cut  according  to  her  own  designs,  and  there 
were  serviettes  and  doilies  embroidered  by 
Syrian  women  in  Constantinople." 

"  Were  they  pretty?  " 

"  Yes,  very  original.  Byzantine,  but  too  rich- 
looking." 

"  Do  you  know,  I  am  to  speak  at  the  Con- 
gress next  week,"  said  Mr.  Ronald,  going  back 
in  his  turn  to  the  subject  which  interested  him. 
"  I  intend  letting  philosophers  and  literary  men 
know  what  I  think  of  them." 

"  But  what  have  they  done  to  you?  " 


6  Eve  Triumphant 

"  To  me,  personally,  nothing,  but  their  igno- 
rance exasperates  me.  They  cannot  see  that 
science  is  Nature  and  that  Nature  is  science 
itself.  They  affect  to  treat  it  with  contempt 
and  have  even  announced  its  failure.  They 
accuse  it  of  having  increased  the  ills  of  man- 
kind. They  are  delighted  when  scientific  men 
meet  with  any  check,  and  they  ridicule  our  re- 
searches and  mistakes.  It  is  perfectly  idiotic! 
They  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  take  an  interest 
in  such  work;  to  make  known  the  discoveries, 
and  to  help  in  establishing  the  truth.  They 
would,  in  this  way,  make  the  present  evolution 
less  painful,  for  all  evolution  is  painful.  There 
will  be  a  fine  turmoil  one  of  these  days,  when 
we  prove  to  them,  precious  idealists  as  they  are, 
that  love  is  nothing  more  than  a  fluid  like  ether, 
for  instance,  or  light  or  electricity." 

Helen,  who  was  busy  putting  her  little  tor- 
toise-shell comb,  set  with  diamonds,  in  her  hair, 
had  only  been  listening  in  an  absent-minded  way 
hitherto.  The  last  words,  however,  roused  her, 
and  she  stopped  short  in  her  occupation,  still 
holding  her  arms  up  in  her  utter  amazement. 

"  What !  love  a  fluid  like  ether  or  light !  "  she 
repeated  with  a  comic  expression  of  horror. 
"  You  are  joking !  " 

"  Not  at  all." 

"  Ah,  then  poets  are  quite  right  in  detesting 
science!  Not  long  ago  it  informed  us  that 
kisses  were  the  means  of  transmitting  infectious 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  7 

germs,  and  now  it  wants  to  proclaim  the  fact 
that  love  is  a  fluid !  Why  not  a  microbe,  pray, 
while  it  is  about  it?  " 

"  Because  it  is  a  fluid,"  replied  the  scientist, 
imperturbably ;  "  a  fluid  which  can  be  analysed, 
and  perhaps  even  registered,  and  which  moves 
along,  touching  an  inactive  cell  here,  an  unsus- 
pected fibre  there,  or  a  mute  chord  in  order  to 
produce  in  the  individual  the  necessary  effects." 

"  And  what  about  free  will?  " 

"  Free  will !  Men  who  are  vain  enough  to 
believe  in  that  have  never  come  to  our  labora- 
tories. We  are  God's  creatures  entirely — His 
collaborators.  We  are  not  here  on  this  earth 
to  win  for  ourselves  some  paradise,  but  to  con- 
tinue His  work — the  work  of  the  whole  universe." 

"  Love  a  fluid !  "  repeated  Helen,  who  had  not 
yet  recovered  from  her  bewilderment.  "  Any- 
how, I  hope  you  will  not  be  the  one  to  demon- 
strate that:  I  should  not  care  to  be  the  wife 
of  the  man  who  will  give  his  name  to  that 
abominable  discovery." 

"  Why  abominable?  We  are  beginning  now 
to  understand  the  role  of  the  most  apparently 
insignificant  creatures.  Thanks  to  electricity, 
we  shall  be  able  to  launch  out,  in  the  study  of 
these  great  fluids,  our  conducting  wires,  the  most 
powerful  of  which  is  love.  Truth  is  more  beauti- 
ful than  fables.  There  will  be  some  fine  effects 
in  all  this  for  our  novelists  and  dramatists,  and 
it  is  science  which  thus  opens  out  to  them  a 


8  Eve  Triumphant 

new  and  inexhaustible  source  of  emotions  and 
sentiments.  What  have  all  your  philosophers 
and  poets  done  for  humanity?  They  have  lured 
it  on  with  Utopias,  lulled  it  with  false  hopes, 
put  an  empty  feeding-bottle  to  its  lips.  And  this 
was  all  necessary,  otherwise  it  would  not  have 
been  so.  But  the  role  of  men  of  science  will 
become  greater  and  greater.  They  will  improve 
and  beautify  the  human  body,  and  will  pro- 
long life.  They  will  discover  new  means  of 
locomotion,  so  that,  thanks  to  them,  in  the  years 
to  come  it  will  be  said :  '  Man  is  a  being  who 
has  walked ! '  They  will  do  still  more,  these  men 
of  science  who  are  accused  of  impiety, — they  will 
reveal  the  true  God  to  humanity,  and  will  bring 
man  purified,  ennobled,  and  with  true  faith,  to 
the  feet  of  his  Maker." 

The  expression  of  Helen's  face  would  have 
proved  clearly  to  any  observer  that  she  had  not 
followed  her  husband  in  his  intellectual  ascen- 
sion, but  had  left  him  on  the  road.  This  was 
often  the  case. 

"  Henry,"  she  began,  with  a  pretty  expres- 
sion of  gravity,  as  she  polished  up  the  stones 
in  her  rings  with  a  fine  cambric  handkerchief. 
"  I  feel  inclined  to  start  a  league  against  lux- 
ury. That  is  one  form  of  intemperance,  after 
all." 

"  What  do  you  say?  "  asked  the  poor  savant 
in  a  bewildered  way,  as  though  he  had  been 
suddenly  roused  from  a  dream. 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  9 

"  That  I  should  like  to  start  a  league  against 
luxury,  and  bring  simplicity  into  fashion." 

"  It  would  be  rather  original — that,  coming 
from  you,"  said  Mr.  Ronald,  with  a  smile. 

"  Seriously,  though,  if  we  do  not  have  a  re- 
action, we  shall  sink  hopelessly  into  extrava- 
gance and  bad  taste — if,  indeed,  we  have  not 
arrived  there  already.  This  display  of  wealth 
is  beginning  to  sicken  me,  and  sometimes  I  wish 
I  could  live  in  a  cottage  furnished  with  only 
the  most  necessary  things,  and  wear  plain  linen 
and  stuff  dresses." 

Mr.  Ronald  looked  at  his  wife  with  an  expres- 
sion of  mock  alarm. 

"  A  cottage,  plain  linen,  and  stuff  dresses ! 
You  frighten  me,  my  love.  You  must  be  ill  to 
have  such  fancies." 

"  Oh,  you  can  laugh  at  me  if  you  like ;  but 
really  and  truly  I  feel  tired,  just  like  any  one 
who  has  been  gazing  at  something  very  bright 
for  too  long  a  time;  I  want  to  see  old  things — 
ugly  things,  even;  and,  above  all,  to  get  out  of 
this  mad  whirlpool  and  breathe  freely!  Oh,  I 
am  so  wreary — weary  to  death !  "  she  said,  put- 
ting on  a  languid  expression  which  was  very 
becoming  to  her.  "  Europe  will  do  us  both  good, 
for  you  are  overworked,  too." 

"  I— not  at  all !  "  protested  Mr.  Ronald.  "  I 
never  felt  better  " ;  and  then,  bringing  his  rock- 
ing-chair to  a  standstill,  he  added,  in  a  confused, 
half-timid  way :  "  Helen,  you  will  have  to  re 


lo  Eve  Triumphant 

lease  me  from  my  promise.  It  is  absolutely 
impossible  for  me  to  leave  America  for  the  next 
few  months." 

So  astonished  was  the  young  wife  that  she  let 
the  large  pearl  she  was  fastening  into  her  ear 
fall  to  the  ground. 

"  What ! "  she  exclaimed,  a  flash  of  anger  in 
her  eyes,  "  you  want  me  now  to  give  up  my  trip 
to  Europe?  " 

"  No,  dearest ;  I  am  not  as  selfish  as  that. 
And  the  proof  is  that  on  leaving  my  meeting  I 
went  and  booked  your  passage  for  the  8th  of 
April  on  the  Touraine" 

"  Oh,  Henry,  how  can  you  think  of  such  a 
thing!  We  have  never  been  separated  all  the 
nine  years  we  have  been  married,"  and  the  young 
wife  glanced  affectionately  at  her  husband. 

"  It  will  be  hard  on  me,  staying  here,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Ronald,  "  but  what  can  I  do?  My 
assistant  has  had  no  holiday  for  an  age,  and  if 
I  do  not  send  him  into  the  country  at  once  he 
will  certainly  be  ill.  Besides,  I  am  just  on  the 
verge  of  a  most  important  discovery,  and  I 
cannot  interrupt  my  work.  Then,  too,  there 
is  Dora's  wedding.  As  she  has  no  father  I 
am  almost  bound  to  represent  him  on  this 
occasion." 

"  Dora's  wedding !  Do  you  think,  then,  that 
she  intends  to  keep  her  word?  " 

"  I  hope  so." 

"  Well,  then,  she  is  just  trying  to  avoid  do;.ng 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  n 

that.  She  wants  to  put  off  the  little  event  until 
the  autumn,  and  coine  with  us  to  Europe." 

"  It  would  be  abominable  of  her  if  she  were 
to  disappoint  Jack  a  second  time.  His  house 
and  yacht  are  quite  ready." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  yacht 
and  house  will  have  to  wait  some  time  yet  for 
their  mistress.  You  know  Dora  prides  herself 
on  the  fact  that  she  has  never  yet  sacrificed  her 
own  will  and  pleasure  for  the  sake  of  any 
one." 

"  Yes,  as  far  as  feminine  selfishness  is  con- 
cerned, she  certainly  is  supreme." 

"  Come  now,  Henry,  you  will  not  let  me  go 
alone  to  Europe !  "  began  Mrs.  Ronald  once  more. 

"  You  will  have  Aunt  Sophie  and  your 
brother." 

"  And  you  will  not  be  jealous?  "  asked  the 
young  wife,  with  her  coquettish  smile. 

"  No ;  for  I  have  absolute  confidence  in  your 
love  and  your  honour." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  answered  Mrs.  Ronald, 
in  a  decided  tone.  "  It  upsets  all  my  arrange- 
ments, though,"  she  continued.  "  I  intended 
sending  the  servants  away  to  the  country  and 
shutting  up  the  house." 

"  Do  so,  by  all  means.  I  could  not  possibly 
live  here  without  you,  and  my  mother  will  take 
me  in." 

"  Ah,  I  see  you  have  made  all  your  plans ! " 
said  Helen,  slightly  annoyed. 


12  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Yes ;  so  that  you  should  have  no  trouble  and 
no  scruples." 

"  And  won't  your  family  criticise  me?  Your 
sister  is  always  up  in  arms  against  the  American 
women  who  leave  their  husbands,  in  order  to  go 
off  and  enjoy  themselves  in  Europe." 

"  As  long  as  I  consider  it  right,  it  is  no  con- 
cern of  any  one  else.  Don't  trouble  yourself 
about  that,  dearest." 

"Oh,  if  I  did  not  really  need  a  change,  I 
would  put  the  trip  off  until  the  autumn;  but 
my  nerves  are  in  such  a  state." 

"  I  am  aware  of  that,"  remarked  Mr.  Ronald, 
with  a  smile. 

"  You  men  have  no  idea  what  it  means  to  keep 
house  in  this  country  of  liberty  and  freedom. 
European  women  are  surprised  that  we  should 
want  to  get  rid  of  our  housekeeping  now  and 
again.  I  should  like  to  see  them  in  our  place! 
Oh,  the  luxury  of  eating  dinners  without  having 
to  discuss  the  menu  first,  and  to  sit  down  to 
table  without  fearing  some  exhibition  of  bad 
temper  from  one's  cook  in  the  form  of  a  spoilt 
dish!  And  then,  how  delightful  to  be  waited 
on  by  those  nice  maids  in  their  white  caps!— 
all  this  is  what  we  enjoy  most  in  Europe,  and 
it  is  just  what  I  need." 

"  Well,  then,  love,  go  and  have  a  little  rest 
and  change.  Get  in  a  good  store  of  health  and 
gaiety  and  buy  plenty  of  pretty  things  while 
you  are  about  it.  No  plain  linen  and  no  stuff 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  13 

dresses,  though,  for  they  would  not  suit  you 
at  all." 

"  You  don't  think  so?  "  asked  the  young  wife, 
looking  at  herself  in  the  glass  with  a  serious 
expression  on  her  beautiful  face. 

"  I  am  quite  sure  about  it.  You  are  a  bril- 
liant woman,  and  you  must  have  silk,  and  laces, 
and  jewellery." 

Helen,  who  was  never  proof  against  a  com- 
pliment, rewarded  her  husband  for  this  one  with 
a  tender  glance  and  a  smile. 

"  And  don't  think  any  more  about  starting 
the  league  against  luxury.  Buy  freely — our 
grandchildren  will  be  able  to  make  a  proper 
selection  later  on.  We  have  no  right  yet  to 
think  of  simplicity  and  rest — we  must  acquire, 
work,  and  create  for  the  future,"  he  added,  in 
a  tone  of  pride. 

Just  at  this  moment  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
door  of  the  dressing-room,  and  before  the  words 
"  Come  in  "  had  been  pronounced,  a  young  girl 
arrayed  in  evening  dress — one  of  those  womanly- 
looking  girls  so  distinctly  American — made  her 
appearance. 

"  Dora ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ronald,  turning  to 
the  newcomer,  "  why,  I  hope  it  is  n't  half-past 
seven." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  at  all,"  replied  Miss 
Carroll,  with  a  little  laugh.  "  I  have  just  been 
fighting  a  great  battle  and  winning  a  victory. 
My  wedding  is  put  off  until  the  autumn,  and 


14  Eve  Triumphant 

my  mother  and  I  are  going  to  start  with  you  for 
Europe." 

"  There,  now,  what  did  I  tell  you? "  said 
Helen,  glancing  at  her  husband. 

"  I  hope  you  are  joking,"  remarked  Henry 
Ronald,  looking  suddenly  severe. 

"  No,  Uncle  dear.  Mother  has  to  take  the 
Carlsbad  waters,  and  I  cannot  let  her  go  alone. 
Every  one  else  would  surely  approve  of  my 
wanting  to  accompany,  her,  but  Jack  actually 
disapproves.  I  have  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
to  make  him  understand  that  my  filial  duty 
compels  me  once  more  to  postpone  making  him 
happy/'  said  Miss  Carroll,  in  the  ironical  tone 
which  she  usually  adopted. 

"  It  is  abominable !  You  have  as  little  honour 
as  you  have  heart." 

Dora  threw  herself  into  an  arm-chair. 

"  I  am  taking  a  seat,  so  that  I  may  not  be 
knocked  down  by  all  the  compliments  you  are 
about  to  fling  at  me." 

"  Jack  is  most  foolishly  weak.  He  ought  not 
to  have  yielded  to  this  new  caprice." 

"  Oh,  he  did  not  yield  willingly,  you  can  de- 
pend on  it.  We  had  a  famous  quarrel,  and  I 
was  just  on  the  point  of  throwing  his  ring  at 
him.  He  saw  that,  and,  rather  than  risk  losing 
me  altogether,  he  gave  in,  and  agreed  to  what 
T  wanted.  He  would  rather  marry  Body  later 
than  never — I  quite  understand  that." 

« I  can't." 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  15 

"  I  am  sorry  for  you,  then.  Well,"  continued 
Miss  Carroll,  "  afterwards  I  was  very  nice,  and 
we  made  it  all  up,  and  I  have  brought  him  with 
me  in  the  carriage.  He  is  in  the  drawing-room 
now,  probably  pulling  his  moustache, — tame,  but 
not  quite  appeased." 

"  And  this  is  the  way  you  American  women 
trifle  with  a  man's  dignity  and  affection !  Upon 
my  word,  you  seem  to  imagine  that  he  was 
created  to  be  your  puppet.  You  worry  him  with 
your  unreasonableness,  and  torture  him  with 
your  coquetry;  and  then,  when  you  have  made 
a  fool  of  him,  you  suddenly  leave  him  in  the 
lurch,  and  he  takes  to  drink  in  order  to  try  to 
forget  you." 

"  Bravo,  Uncle !  "  interrupted  Miss  Carroll. 
"  What  a  pity  you  did  not  go  into  the  Church ! 
You  would  most  certainly  have  taken  your  place 
amongst  the  great  preachers." 

Henry  Ronald's  cheek  flushed  slightly. 

"  It  is  quite  true,"  he  continued ;  "  you  treat 
your  watches  with  more  respect  than  you  do 
men's  brains — those  brains  which  were  intended 
for  such  important  work,  and  to  which  you  owe 
everything.  You  have  less  compunction  about 
getting  them  out  of  order  than  you  would  have 
about  the  works  of  your  watch.  You  are  much 
too  selfish,  and  too  independent.  Take  my  word 
for  it,  it  is  neither  the  right  of  voting  nor  the 
higher  education  which  will  raise  women  to  our 
level;  it  is  self-denial  and  abnegation.  And 


16  Eve  Triumphant 

shall  I  tell  you  something  else?  These  are  the 
qualities  to  which  the  European  woman  owes 
her  charm  and  her  superiority." 

"Oh,  indeed!  do  you  really  believe  that?" 
asked  Dora  jeeringly.  "  If  I  were  sure  of  it,  I 
would  soon  begin  to  practice  those  virtues." 

"  It  would  be  very  difficult,  for  you  are  abso- 
lutely spoilt  by  having  'had  too  much  liberty 
and  happiness.  Last  autumn  you  postponed 
your  marriage  on  the  pretext  of  your  health, 
when  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with  you; 
this  spring  you  make  your  mother's  health  the 
plea.  If  you  don't  love  Jack  well  enough  to 
marry  him,  why,  for  heaven's  sake  break  off  the 
engagement !  Be  straightforward — hang  it  all !  " 

"  That  is  just  what  I  am  endeavouring  to  be, 
my  dear  Uncle.  I  do  like  Jack.  I  have  never 
met  any  one  I  have  liked  better,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  give  him  up  to  any  other  woman.  But 
this  is  how  matters  stand:  I  do  not  feel  quite 
fit  to  be  married.  I  must  have  a  little  tour  in 
Europe  first.  I  am  going  with  the  sole  object 
of  attaining  to  that  degree  of  perfection  which 
is  necessary  for  the  future  happiness  of  Jack. 
If  this  is  not  a  proof  of  love  and  straightforward- 
ness, why,  I  don't  know  what  is ! "  said  Dora, 
with  a  seriousness  which  belied  the  mischievous 
expression  of  her  eyes.  "  A  fiancee  retour 
d' Europe!  Why,  it's  like  Bordeaux  retour  de 
I'Inde.  Joking  apart,  though,"  continued  Miss 
Carroll,  "  I  could  never  have  resigned  myself  to 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  17 

be  married  during  your  absence;  I  should  have 
looked  too  much  like  a  poor,  forlorn  orphan." 

Helen  began  to  laugh. 

"  Oh,  you  are  really  good,  both  of  you !  Here  's 
Henry,  who  has  just  informed  me  that  he  cannot 
leave  this  summer;  and  one  of  the  reasons  he 
gives  for  not  accompanying  me  is  your  wedding." 

"  What !  Henry  is  n't  going  to  Europe !  "  ex- 
claimed Miss  Carroll,  her  face  suddenly  bright- 
ening. "  So  much  the  better ;  we  shall  have 
some  fun,  then !  " 

"  Thank  you,"  remarked  Mr.  Konald,  in  a  dry 
tone.  "  I  '11  go  and  find  Jack,"  he  added,  getting 
up,  "  and  tell  him  he  would  do  well  to  accompany 
you." 

Dora  sprang  to  her  feet,  and,  with  a  bound, 
placed  herself  in  front  of  her  uncle. 

"  No,  no,  please !  "  she  begged,  holding  him  by 
the  lapel  of  his  coat.  "  That  would  be  taking 
a  mean  revenge,  and  quite  unworthy  of  a  great 
man  like  you.  I  am  very  fond  of  you,  and  you 
know  that  very  well  indeed ;  but  you  are  rather 
a  wet  blanket  when  we  want  to  be  frivolous, 
and  I  should  like  to  enjoy  my  last  few  months 
of  liberty.  After  that,  I  will  come  back  and 
get  into  harness,  and  you  will  see  I  shall  trot 
along  steadily  and  without  stumbling,  side  by 
side  with  Jack." 

The  idea  of  Dora  trotting  along  steadily  and 
without  stumbling,  side  by  side  with  Jack, 
brought  a  smile  to  the  savant's  lips.  He  could 


i8  Eve  Triumphant 

not  resist  his  niece's  nonsense  any  more  than 
the  others  could.  She  saw  that  he  was  half  ap- 
peased and,  to  complete  her  victory,  she  put  her 
arm  round  his  neck. 

"  Now,  be  nice,"  she  said  coaxingly,  accom- 
panying him  to  the  door;  "go  and  pacify  Jack, 
and  try  to  get  him  in  a  good  temper.  Do  it  for 
Dody's  sake,"  she  added,  giving  him  a  hearty 
kiss,  like  a  child. 

"  There,  I  've  settled  two  of  them !  "  she  said, 
throwing  herself  into  her  uncle's  rocking-chair. 
"  Oh,  dear,  how  hard  life  is !  " 

"It's  Jack  who  might  say  that,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Konald,  smiling.  "  You  are  treating  him  badly. 
I  don't  believe  you  intend  ever  to  marry  him." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do ;  I  '11  marry  him  some  day  or 
other,  but  what  am  I  to  do?  Marriage  seems 
to  me  like  a  sort  of  noose,  and  I  'm  in  no  hurry 
at  all  to  put  my  neck  in  it.  I  am  quite  sure 
that  I  shall  never  be  as  happy  as  I  am  now,  so 
what  is  the  use  of  being  in  a  hurry?  " 

"  If  you  really   loved   Jack  you   would  not! 
reason  like  that." 

"  Oh,  I  certainly  don't  feel  for  him  anything 
like  the  love  one  reads  about  in  French  novels. 
I  wonder  if  such  a  thing  exists  in  reality?  Any- 
how, men  in  our  country  are  too  matter-of-fact 
to  inspire  us  with  it,  and  we  are  too  busy  to 
have  any  time  to  experience  it." 

Mrs.  Ronald  appeared  to  be  considering  the 
question. 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  19 

"  No,"  she  said,  at  last,  "  I  don't  fancy  that 
we  are  capable  of  la  grande  passion." 

"  So  much  the  better,  for  women  who  are  do 
only  idiotic  things.  As  for  me,  I  am  very  fond 
of  Jack,  and  my  affection  for  him  is  strong 
enough  to  endure  a  lifetime;  but  for  the  last 
two  years,  ever  since  our  engagement,  we  have 
seen  each  other  nearly  every  day.  I  am  too 
used  to  him  now,  and  after  five  or  six  months  of 
separation  he  will  seem  newer  to  me  again,  and 
have  more  effect  on  me.  Men  never  know  what 
is  good  for  them." 

"  Oh,  Dody,  Body !  "  exclaimed  Helen,  laugh- 
ing, "  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do,  perfectly  well,  and  '  Eoni  soit 
qui  mal  y  pense.'  By  the  bye,  I  am  very  much 
astonished  that  Henry  should  send  you  to  Europe 
alone.  It  is  against  the  principles  of  the  Ronald 
family!" 

"  Oh,  he  is  so  unselfish !  It  seems  that  he  is 
just  on  the  point  of  making  some  great  dis- 
covery, and  if  I  refused  to  leave  him  he  would 
accompany  me  so  that  I  should  not  be  deprived 
of  this  trip.  But  I  know  him;  all  his  thoughts 
would  be  in  his  laboratory  and  he  would  not 
enjoy  anything.  On  the  other  hand,  I  really  am 
tired  and  as  nervous  as  I  possibly  can  be;  I 
feel  that  I  am  getting  quite  disagreeable,  and, 
for  this,  Europe  is  the  only  cure." 

"  There  's  no  doubt  about  that.     We  shall  both 


2o  Eve  Triumphant 

of  us  feel  much  better  when  we  have  spent  a 
few  thousand  dollars  on  gimcracks  and  finery, 
visited  a  few  churches  and  museums,  and  lived 
five  or  six  months  in  apartments  more  or  less 
hideous  and  uncomfortable  in  the  various  hotels," 
remarked  Miss  Carroll,  with  her  satirical  spright- 
liness.  "  I  am  reckoning,  though,  on  varying  the 
programme  a  little.  In  the  first  place,  we  will 
take  our  bicycles  with  us  so  that  we  can  go  on 
excursions  here  and  there;  then  your  brother 
can  take  us  to  the  theatres,  the  concert  halls, 
the  Moulin-Rouge,  and  to  Loiset's.  All  my 
friends  have  been  there.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
most  shocking  place  in  Paris,  and  I  really  need 
to  be  shocked !  " 

"  It  is  not  at  all  certain  that  Charley  will 
consent  to  taking  us  to  such  places." 

"  Oh,  well,  we  '11  take  him,  then,"  replied  the 
young  girl,  imperturbably. 

"  I  hope  the  De  Keradieus  and  the  d'Anguil- 
hons  will  be  in  Paris  this  time,"  said  Helen. 
"  On  my  former  journeys  I  have  always  missed 
them.  It  was  just  as  though  it  was  on  purpose. 
With  two  friends  married  in  the  Faubourg  St. 
Germain,  I  have  never  yet  seen  the  inside  of 
a  French  home." 

"  And  I  was  unlucky  enough  not  to  be  at 
Newport  last  summer  when  this  famous  Mar- 
quis d'Anguilhon  was  there.  Do  you  think 
Annie  will  invite  us?  " 

"  Certainly." 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways          21 

"  What  fun !  but  for  heaven's  sake  don't  say 
anything  before  Jack  about  going  into  society 
there.  He  would  imagine  that  I  would  let  some 
Frenchman  make  love  to  me,  and  I  should  not 
have  another  moment's  peace." 

Mrs.  Ronald  had  taken  her  jewellery-box  out 
of  a  safe  hidden  in  an  elegant  piece  of  furniture. 
Her  slender  fingers  moved  about  for  a  few  min- 
utes among  the  gems  spread  out  on  the  white 
velvet,  and  then  she  selected  a  magnificent  set 
of  pears  and  diamonds.  When  she  had  fastened 
the  necklace  she  turned  towards  Miss  Carroll. 

"  Am  I  all  right?  "  she  asked. 

"  You  are  perfectly  adorable ! "  answered  the 
young  girl,  with  an  accent  of  sincerity.  "  I  am 
like  a  spider  beside  you,"  she  added,  crossing 
over  to  one  of  the  long  glasses,  which  reflected 
a  slight,  graceful  figure  with  a  very  modern  out- 
line, dressed  in  white  silk,  a  small  head  with 
brown  hair,  a  face  with  rather  sharp  features 
and  of  somewhat  dark  complexion,  but  embel- 
lished with  light  grey-blue  eyes  which  beamed 
with  animation,  veiled  as  they  were  with  dark, 
thick,  curly  lashes. 

"  I  ought  never  to  come  near  you,"  said  Dora, 
pulling  up  her  pearl  dog-collar. 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense !  You  know  you  would 
rather  be  yourself  than  any  one  else,  and  you 
are  quite  right,  too.  Come  along;  let  us  go  and 
join  the  gentlemen.  I  hope  Jack  won't  be  too 
bad-tempered  and  spoil  our  evening." 


22  Eve  Triumphant 

At  the  first  glance  both  women  saw  that  Mr. 
Ronald  had  not  succeeded  in  instilling  resigna- 
tion into  the  young  man's  mind.  There  was  a 
sad  look  in  his  eyes  which  caused  his  fiancee 
some  slight  remorse. 

Mr.  Ascott  was  a  very  fine-looking  young  man. 
His  type  of  face  was  not  strikingly  intelligent, 
but  his  dark,  bright,  expressive  eyes,  his  gay 
smile,  and  his  kindly  manner  made  him  generally 
liked,  while  his  indefatigable  liveliness  caused 
him  to  be  one  of  the  favourites  in  New  York 
society. 

"  And  so  they  are  treating  you  badly,  poor 
old  Jack ! "  said  Mrs.  Ronald,  holding  out  her 
hand  to  him.  "  Believe  me,  I  have  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  this  new  caprice  of  Dora's." 

"I  am  sure  of  that!  She  is  one  of  those 
American  women  who  cannot  see  a  friend  pack- 
ing her  trunks  without  being  tempted  to  imitate 
her.  Europe  is  the  perdition  of  our  wives  and 
the  ruin  of  our  homes !  " 

"Oh,  no;  don't  be  unjust.  For  one  reason, 
I  am  glad  your  wedding  is  put  off  until  the 
autumn.  It  will  enable  me  to  be  present  at  it." 

"  If  it  ever  takes  place !  " 

"  Oh,  it  will  take  place  quite  soon  enough  for 
your  peace  and  tranquillity,"  remarked  Mr. 
Ronald,  laying  his  hand  affectionately  on  the 
young  man's  shoulder. 

"  That  is  just  what  I  told  Jack,"  added  Dora 
calmly. 


The  Parting  of  the  Ways  23 

At  this  moment  dinner  was  announced. 

"  We  must  hurry  up,"  said  Helen,  "  for  I  do 
not  want  to  miss  Tamagno's  arrival  on  the 
scene,  and  that  first  sentence  of  Othello,  which 
is  like  a  shout  of  triumph,  and  which  always 
makes  me  feel  the  thrill  of  victory." 


CHAPTER  II 

TRAINING  FOE  SOCIETY 

ONLY  a  few  years  ago,  in  America,  married 
women  lived  a  staid,  retired  sort  of  life* 
they  went  into  the  background,  as  it  were,  and 
remained  there  more  or  less  contentedly. 

In  those  days  divorces  were  rare,  but  in  that 
country  of  rapid  evolutions,  customs  change  al- 
most as  quickly  as  fashions.  Unmarried  girls, 
more  and  more  desirous  to  escape  from  maternal 
supervision,  asked  married  women  to  chaperone 
them  to  balls  and  theatres,  coaching  and  yacht- 
ing excursions,  picnics,  and  all  such  dangerous 
dissipations.  The  married  women  did  not  need 
much  persuasion,  and,  under  the  pretext  of 
satisfying  Mrs.  Grundy  by  their  presence,  they 
came  back  on  the  scene  themselves.  At  present 
they  appear  in  the  most  beautiful  toilettes;  they 
exact  plenty  of  homage,  presents  of  flowers,  and 
tributes  of  admiration.  They  flirt  with  an 
audacity  and  a  science  which  make  their  rivalry 
dreaded.  They  are  beginning  to  patronise  the 
unmarried  girls,  and  will  perhaps  succeed  in 

24 


Training  for  Society  25 

dethroning  them.  In  Washington  they  have 
already  done  so. 

Salons  are  the  synthesis  of  an  epoch.  There 
are  none  now  in  Europe,  and  in  America  they 
have  not  yet  existed.  Some  women,  however, 
have  succeeded  in  attaining  a  certain  amount 
of  individual  prestige,  and  Mrs.  Ronald  was  one 
of  these.  She  entertained  in  a  most  sumptuous 
way,  but  everything  was  in  good  taste.  In  Paris 
her  style  would  have  been  considered  somewhat 
too  luxurious,  but  in  New  York  it  was  quite 
modest.  Her  invitations  were  coveted,  and 
looked  upon  as  great  favours.  Sympathy  and 
admiration  were  essential  to  her,  and  she  spared 
nothing  in  order  to  win  them.  Unlike  the  ma- 
jority of  her  compatriots,  her  manners  were 
always  even  and  gracious,  and  it  was  to  this 
more  than  to  her  position  that  she  owed  her 
triumphs  as  hostess,  and  the  influence  which 
made  her  one  of  the  undisputed  leaders  of  New 
York  society. 

Mrs.  Ronald  could  decide  the  fate  of  an  artist, 
start  a  fashion,  change  a  custom,  hold  in  check 
a  parvenue  who  had  become  too  encroaching,  or 
send  a  most  prepossessing  divorced  woman  to 
Coventry.  She  was  the  ruling  spirit  of  several 
philanthropic  societies,  and,  as  the  climax  of 
glory,  had  been  elected  president  of  the  Colo- 
nial Ladies,  the  most  characteristic  of  societies 
imaginable. 

The    younger    sons    of    aristocratic    English 


26  Eve  Triumphant 

families,  and  the  Dutch  who  went  to  seek  their 
fortune  and  freedom  in  America,  severed  their 
ties  with  their  mother-country  without  ever  wish- 
ing to  renew  them.  When  once  they  had  become 
rich  and  independent,  they  would  willingly  have 
allowed  their  ancestors  to  sleep  in  peace  under 
the  vaults  of  European  cathedrals  or  churches, 
without  claiming  descent  from  them.  The  women 
would  not  permit  this,  and  consequently  once 
more  lost  an  opportunity  of  proving  their  su- 
periority. Instead  of  creating  in  their  country  an 
aristocracy  of  intelligence,  education,  and  talent, 
they  were  ambitious  to  claim  that  of  birth.  By 
means  of  the  various  relics  brought  away  at  the 
time  of  their  exodus,  and  the  old  Bibles,  on  the 
blank  leaves  of  which  were  inscribed  the  births 
and  marriages,  they  have  traced  out  their  origin 
and  made  the  most  of  their  family  names.  They 
pride  themselves  more  on  being  branches  of  old 
rotten  trees  in  Europe  than  of  belonging  to  the 
vigorous  new  shoots  which  have  sprung  up  in 
America.  They  are  prouder  of  the  unknown 
ancestor  who  frequently  was  a  mere  good-for- 
nothing,  and  sometimes  even  a  vicious  man,  than 
of  the  grandfather  to  whom  they  owe  everything. 
Possessed  by  this  mild  form  of  madness,  a 
fair  number  of  these  women  go  searching  the 
archives  of  the  British  Museum  and  the  church 
registers,  and  all  who  are  moderately  ingenious 
manage  to  bring  back  with  them  proofs  of  their 
long  descent  and  even  of  their  armorial  bear- 


Training  for  Society 


27 


ings.  In  order  to  protect  the  integrity  of  tbeir 
caste,  the  women  of  the  American  aristocracy 
conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a  society  of  Colo- 
nial Ladies,  members  of  which  must  be  able  to 
show  their  pedigree  for  two  hundred  years  back, 
and  to  prove  that  they  are  descendants  of 
emigres,  and  not  of  emigrants.  The  presidency 
of  this  ultra-exclusive  clan  seemed  to  belong 
naturally  to  Mrs.  Ronald,  for  she  was  incontest- 
ably  of  good  birth.  Her  mother  belonged  to 
one  of  the  best  families  of  New  Orleans,  and  her 
father,  Commodore  Beauchamp,  traced  his  de- 
scent from  the  famous  Beauchamp  who  went 
over  to  England  with  William  the  Conqueror, 
and  whose  name  is  inscribed  on  the  doorway 
of  the  ancient  church  of  Dives. 

Helen  was  not  only  of  good  birth,  but  she  had 
been  well  brought  up.  Her  mother  having  died 
several  weeks  after  her  birth,  a  sister  of  her 
father's,  one  of  those  delightful  old  maids  en- 
dowed with  a  maternal  instinct,  had  opened  her 
arms  and  heart  to  the  helpless  baby  and  to  the 
elder  brother,  Charley.  Little  Helen  was  one 
of  those  children  who,  by  their  beauty  and  pre- 
cocious power  of  fascination,  manage  to  win 
over  their  parents  and  those  in  authority  over 
them.  Miss  Beauchamp,  thanks  to  her  strong 
sense  of  duty,  was  firm  enough  to  insist  on  a 
certain  amount  of  discipline  for  the  young  girl 
and,  although  she  could  not  prevent  the  develop- 
ment of  Helen's  vanity  and  innate  coquetry,  she 


28  Eve  Triumphant 

managed,  at  all  events,  to  bring  her  up  well, 
and  to  instil  into  her  mind  certain  principles 
which  should  act  as  a  counterbalance,  and  leave 
on  the  young  girl's  character  the  impress  of  her 
own  rectitude  and  integrity. 

Helen's  school  career  was  most  brilliant;  her 
friends  feared,  in  fact,  lest  >she  should  take  it 
into  her  head  to  become  a  doctor  or  a  lawyer. 
Her  beauty  saved  her  from  this,  as  she  soon 
saw  that  there  was  more  gratification  in  being 
a  woman  than  a  feminist.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, on  leaving  the  schoolroom,  she  had  a 
regular  court  of  admirers,  and  more  invitations 
than  she  could  possibly  accept.  All  at  once  she 
was  seized  with  one  of  those  fits  of  distaste  for 
everything,  which  she  was  destined  to  experi- 
ence somewhat  frequently  as  time  went  on,  and 
which  in  reality  proved  her  superiority.  She 
announced  to  her  father  and  her  aunt  that  she 
wanted  to  go  to  some  convent  in  Paris  for  a 
year  in  order  to  improve  her  French,  music,  and 
singing. 

"  If  I  do  not  disappear  from  the  scene  for  a 
time,"  she  added,  with  that  practical  common- 
sense  which  never  abandons  the  American 
woman,  "  my  coming-out  will  be  a  perfect  fail- 
ure; every  one  will  have  seen  too  much  of 
me,  and  I  shall  make  no  sensation  whatever." 

Mr.  Beauchamp  and  his  sister  protested  ener- 
getically at  first,  but  finally  recognised  the  fact 
that  the  young  girl  was  right,  for,  as  they  ac- 


Training  for  Society  29 

knowledged  to  each  other,  her  early  success 
would  in  the  end  be  detrimental  to  her.  They 
therefore  consented  to  what  she  wrished,  only 
objecting  to  her  entering  a  convent.  Helen, 
however,  held  her  own,  as  the  ordinary  board- 
ing-schools at  Passy  and  Neuilly  did  not  appeal 
to  her  in  the  least.  What  she  wanted  was  a 
chic  convent,  as  aristocratic  as  possible.  Con- 
vent life  had  always  seemed  to  her  so  extraor- 
dinary, that  she  was  extremely  curious  to  know 
more  about  it.  The  idea  of  imprisoning  one's 
self  between  high  walls,  of  obeying  the  sound  of 
a  bell,  of  submitting  to  severe  laws,  and  of  liv- 
ing among  French  people,  with  girls  of  quite 
another  race  and  education,  appealed  to  her  imag- 
inative mind,  ever  on  the  lookout  for  something 
new.  As  a  result  of  this  whim,  strange  enough 
in  a  frivolous  girl  such  as  Helen  was,  she  and 
Miss  Beauchamp  started  for  Paris.  After  vari- 
ous inquiries,  they  had  given  the  preference  to 
the  Convent  of  the  Assumption  at  Auteuil,  where 
there  is  plenty  of  air,  space,  and  verdure.  Aunt 
Sophie  was  determined  not  to  forsake  her  niece. 
She  would  not  upon  any  account  have  left  her 
in  the  hands  of  foreigners  and  Catholics.  Gov- 
erned, as  usual,  by  a  strong  sense  of  duty,  she 
put  aside  her  own  Protestant  scruples,  and  took 
rooms  in  what  is  called  the  Little  Convent,  a 
house  of  retreat,  and  a  favourite  refuge  for  so- 
ciety women  in  search  of  rest  and  oblivion. 
Helen  had  a  room  in  the  convent  itself. 


30  Eve  Triumphant 

Americans  who  have  lived  some  time  in 
Parisian  boarding-schools  declare  that  French- 
women are  badly  brought  up,  and  that  they  are 
perverted  and  hypocritical.  Frenchwomen,  on 
their  side,  look  upon  Americans  as  perfect 
heathen  in  matters  of  religion  and  ethics.  These 
false  impressions  are  due  to  the  fact  that  they 
have  a  totally  different  conception  of  life. 

From  time  immemorial,  Catholicism  has  used 
its  influence  with  the  Latin  race  in  turning  its 
attention  towards  the  Hereafter.  It  teaches  the 
young  girl  that  she  has  been  placed  in  this 
world  merely  to  win  her  way  to  heaven.  It  en- 
deavours to  inculcate  in  her  contempt  for  human 
happiness  and  all  the  vanities  of  this  world,  dis- 
dain for  her  body,  and  a  love  of  suffering.  It 
has  in  this  way  obtained  sublime  sacrifices,  and 
the  most  exquisite  purity  of  soul.  This  idea 
develops  in  the  nascent  woman  the  inner  life; 
and  that  kind  of  isolation,  to  which  she  is  con- 
demned by  the  customs  of  her  country,  makes 
of  her  a  concentrated  being  in  whom  the  sap, 
being  driven  back,  produces  dangerous  dreams 
and  a  wild  growth  of  unwholesome  ideas,  morbid 
desires,  and  strange  feelings. 

The  American  woman,  on  the  contrary,  be- 
lieves that  she  has  been  created  for  the  purpose 
of  enjoying  all  the  good  things  in  this  world,  of 
developing  her  intelligence,  and  of  taking  her 
part  in  the  universal  activity.  She  has  no  anx- 
iety about  the  other  world,  and  no  ambition  for 


Training  for  Society  31 

eternal  happiness.  She  feels  that  she  is  in  the 
hands  of  an  all-wise  Providence,  to  whom  she 
yields  herself  up  joyously ;  her  mind  is  open  to  all 
ideas,  and  her  body  fortified  by  the  virtues  of 
plenty  of  water,  fresh  air,  and  exercise.  She  will 
stand  before  her  glass  looking  at  herself  critic- 
ally, glad  to  be  beautiful,  and  she  will  take  the 
greatest  trouble  to  remedy  any  physical  defects. 
Her  purity  is  not  that  of  ignorance,  but  of  self- 
respect.  What  we  should  call  evil  and  sin  she 
would  term  inferiority  and  vulgarity.  In  this 
distinction  is  to  be  found  all  the  difference  which 
exists  between  the  psychology  of  the  Old  World 
and  that  of  the  New  World,  between  the  psy- 
chology of  the  past  and  that  of  the  future, 
perhaps. 

The  pupils  of  the  Convent  of  the  Assumption 
at  Auteuil  belong  chiefly  to  the  provincial  aris- 
tocracy and  to  the  upper  middle  class.  Helen 
did  not  feel  at  home  amongst  these  European 
girls.  They  were  a  continual  subject  of  astonish- 
ment to  her.  The  liberty  which  most  of  them 
took  with  the  truth,  and  their  eagerness  to  pene- 
trate the  mysteries  of  life,  horrified  her.  Love, 
which  she  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful things  in  the  world,  and  for  which  she  was 
content  to  wait  peacefully,  appeared  to  be,  in 
the  eyes  of  these  French  girls,  a  forbidden  fruit, 
a  kind  of  sin,  around  which,  nevertheless,  all 
their  thoughts  and  all  their  conversation  turned. 
They  even  delighted  in  reading  over  and  over 


32  Eve  Triumphant 

again  in  their  prayer-books  the  few  verses  of 
Solomon's  Song  which  are  contained  there,  and 
they  used  to  dream  of  the  "  Well  Beloved." 

The  more  devout  among  them  prayed  with 
mystic  fervour,  and  denied  themselves  in  all 
kinds  of  ways  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  God. 
All  this  appeared  to  the  American  girl  the  very 
climax  of  foolishness.  There  was  in  the  souls 
of  these  pensionnaires  a  craving  for  self-sacrifice, 
and  there  were  aspirations  which  made  them 
seem  to  her  the  most  extraordinary  and  romantic 
creatures  possible,  and  yet  at  times  she  felt  a 
perfect  child  beside  them. 

She,  in  her  turn,  was  misunderstood  and 
criticised  mercilessly.  Her  frankness  was  taken 
for  rudeness;  her  independent  character  seemed 
a  proof  of  her  faulty  education.  Her  precocious 
elegance,  her  underclothes  of  silk  and  cambric, 
although  exciting  much  envy,  were  considered 
an  indication  of  sinful  coquetry.  Her  beauty 
brought  her  plenty  of  ardent  admiration,  which 
did  not  fail  to  flatter  her,  but  during  her  stay 
at  Auteuil  she  did  not  make  one  true  friend. 

Among  these  French  Catholic  surroundings  in 
which  she  found  herself,  Helen  unconsciously 
laid  in  a  store  of  impressions  which  later  on 
were  to  be  revived,  and  to  aid  in  the  working- 
out  of  her  destiny.  On  Sundays  she  went  to  the 
Protestant  Church  in  the  Avenue  de  PAlma,  and 
in  the  afternoon,  with  her  fine  American  eclectic- 
ism, she  attended  vespers  and  even  sang  in  the 


Training  for  Society  33 

choir.  The  ceremonies  of  the  Catholic  Church 
were  to  her  merely  a  spectacle ;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  she  was  aware  that  the  spectacle  was 
elevating. 

The  odour  of  the  incense,  the  mysterious  lan- 
guage of  the  liturgy,  the  benediction  of  the  Holy 
Sacrament,  appealed  specially  to  her.  Every 
now  and  then  a  thrill  of  religious  fervour  would 
pass  over  the  surface  of  her  soul,  but  without 
stirring  it  to  its  depths.  The  Chapel  of  the 
Assumption  had  a  strange  attraction  for  her, 
and  she  often  asked  permission  to  help  one  of 
the  nuns  in  decorating  the  altar.  She  did  this 
irreverently,  moving  about  quickly,  laughing  and 
talking  too  loudly,  unconscious  of  that  Presence 
which  made  the  nun  so  timid  and  so  respectful 
in  her  attitude.  On  the  days  of  the  market  near 
the  Madeleine  she  would  come  back  with  her 
carriage  full  of  flowers,  and  would  take  the  most 
beautiful  ones  to  lay  at  the  feet  of  the  Virgin. 
This  was  the  homage  which,  like  a  true  Ameri- 
can, she  was  ready  to  offer  to  her  own  sex.  She 
approved  of  Catholicism  because,  as  she  said, 
with  all  the  irreverence  of  a  heretic,  "  it  pos- 
sessed a  goddess,  and  it  was  the  only  one  of  the 
Christian  religions  which  had  erected  altars  in 
honour  of  women." 

Helen  had  determined  to  make  the  best  of  her 
time  in  Paris,  and  she  kept  her  resolution.  She 
attended  French  literature  and  history  classes, 
and  took  elocution  and  singing  lessons  from  a 

3 


34  Eve  Triumphant 

celebrated  Italian  professor.  Her  voice  was  ex- 
tremely pure  and  beautiful,  but  it  wanted  soul. 
She  felt  this  herself,  and  was  in  despair.  It 
was  all  in  vain  that  she  evoked  one  after  the 
other  the  faces  of  her  numerous  admirers.  Not 
one  of  them  thawed  her,  as  she  jokingly  said; 
she  was  eighteen  years  old,  and  was  obliged  to 
drag  out  the  pronunciation  of  the  sentimental 
words  in  the  songs  in  order  to  put  any  expres- 
sion in  them. 

Miss  Beauchamp  chaperoned  her  niece  so 
cleverly  that  she  had  no  opportunity  of  making 
the  acquaintance  of  a  single  Frenchman.  She 
could  only  see  at  a  safe  distance  those  counts 
and  dukes  about  whom  she  had  heard  such 
dreadful  things,  and  who  on  that  account 
excited  her  curiosity. 

This  year  of  rest  and  study  did  much  for  the 
young  American  girl,  and  she  brought  back  with 
her  from  Europe  an  undefinable  something  which 
added  a  new  charm  to  her  beauty. 

Helen  Beauchamp's  debut  created  a  great 
sensation.  She  became  one  of  the  most  tri- 
umphant belles  of  New  York  society,  one  of  those 
pretty,  brilliant  creatures,  possessing  that  secret 
power  which  transforms  them  into  conquerors. 
All  homage  is  paid  to  the  acknowledged  belle 
of  the  season;  she  is  besieged  with  flowers,  and 
her  smiles  are  coveted.  Hostesses  vie  with  each 
other  in  securing  her  presence,  while  all  the  men, 
out  of  sheer  vanity,  become  her  courtiers  and 


Training  for  Society  35 

slaves.  This  loyalty  lasts  two  or  three  seasons, 
during  which  the  Grand  Prix,  in  the  shape  of 
position  or  wealth,  must  be  won.  The  belle  who 
does  not  succeed  in  this  is  considered  a  failure. 
She  ages  quickly,  and  passes  for  ever  into  the 
background.  "Sic  transit  gloria  mundi!" 

Helen's  fortune  was  not  in  accordance  with 
her  tastes,  in  consequence  of  which  she  had  de- 
clared that  she  would  either  make  a  wealthy 
marriage  or  remain  an  old  maid.  She  had  been 
created,  she  used  to  say,  to  have  horses  and 
carriages,  elegant  toilettes,  and  a  luxurious 
home,  and  all  this  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
her.  She  had  had  offers  from  several  parvenus 
who  were  worth  millions,  but  she  refused  them 
without  a  second  thought  in  the  most  offhand 
way.  She  had  no  small  amount  of  ambition, 
for  she  wanted  a  man  of  good  family,  intelligent, 
and  who  either  was  or  would  become  a  celebrity. 

An  American  woman  is  generally  anxious  that 
her  husband  should  be  a  credit  to  her,  either 
on  account  of  his  capabilities  or  his  commercial 
power.  If  he  should  be  a  tall  man  she  is  spe- 
cially proud  of  him,  and  keeps  repeating  with 
almost  barbaric  vanity,  "  He  is  six  feet  without 
his  shoes." 

Henry  Ronald  seemed  to  be  Helen's  dream 
personified.  He  had  everything  she  had  desired 
— good  looks,  great  ability,  and  wealth.  Al- 
though he  was  not  as  well  born  as  she  was,  he 
could  claim  three  generations  of  wealthy  and 


36  Eve  Triumphant 

honest  ancestors  of  the  upper  middle  class,  and 
this,  in  every  country  in  the  world,  constitutes 
a  certain  nobility.  Henry  was  the  great  match 
of  the  very  season  in  which  Miss  Beauchamp 
came  out. 

The  sight  of  Helen  awoke  in  him  all  that  he 
had  of  poetry  and  youth.  Her  hair,  of  such 
wonderful  colour,  her  brown  eyes,  sparkling  with 
animation  and  life,  and  her  graceful  figure  photo- 
graphed themselves  instantaneously  on  his  brain, 
and  remained  there  for  ever.  From  the  very 
moment  Helen  felt  that  he  was  in  her  power. 
She  began  by  playing  with  him  somewhat  cruelly, 
but  she  was  too  intelligent  not  to  realise  his 
superiority  and  to  respect  it ;  and,  as  frequently 
happens  with  women;  love  soon  followed. 

Mr.  Konald's  mother  and  sister,  who  were 
rigid,  austere  women,  tried  to  set  him  against 
the  brilliant  young  girl,  whose  frivolity  and 
worldliness  alarmed  them.  The  forces  of  Des- 
tiny were  against  them,  however.  For  the  first 
time,  their  words  and  remonstrances  had  no 
effect  on  him,  and  by  the  end  of  the  season  he 
was  engaged  to  Helen. 

The  wedding  was  delayed  by  the  death  of  Com- 
modore Beauchamp,  and  only  took  place  some 
eighteen  months  later.  From  that  time  until 
the  present  this  had  been  one  of  the  happiest 
of  marriages.  Mr.  Ronald  was  now  the  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  most  important  scientific 
reviews  of  America,  and  his  wrorks  on  toxi- 


Training  for  Society  37 

cology  had  made  him  famous  at  home  and 
abroad. 

In  Europe,  savants  and  literary  men  spring, 
for  the  most  part,  from  families  which  belong 
either  to  the  working  or  middle  classes,  where 
the  life  and  strength  of  nations  are  to  be  found. 
They  have  not  received  that  education  which 
polishes  and  defines  the  individual.  They  are 
at  the  same  time  above  and  below  the  higher 
ranks  of  society. 

In  the  United  States  they  belong  more  to  the 
wealthy  class,  and  consequently  have  the  same 
habits  and  customs.  If  this  were  not  so,  it 
would  not  much  matter,  as  their  wives  would 
soon  instruct  them. 

Mr.  Ronald  had  a  laboratory  just  as  one  might 
have  a  racing  stable.  He  was  one  of  those 
athletes  of  Harvard  University  whose  muscles 
and  senses  are  exercised  by  continual  training, 
by  means  of  those  sports  which  increase  the 
strength  of  a  man  tenfold;  which  make  him 
graceful  in  repose  and  formidable  on  the  field; 
and  which,  in  spite  of  what  French  educational- 
ists may  say,  can  be  carried  on  at  the  same 
time  with  intellectual  studies,  as  is  proved  in 
England  and  America. 

In  the  interval  between  two  chemical  experi- 
ments, Henry  Ronald  would  go  and  have  a  game 
of  cricket  or  football ;  and  at  thirty-eight,  his  age 
when  the  episode  we  are  about  to  relate  com- 
mences, he  was  so  vigorous  and  agile  that  with 


38  Eve  Triumphant 

a  few  days'  training  he  would  have  made  one 
of  the  best  of  soldiers.  Helen  loved  her  hus- 
band, not  passionately  perhaps,  but  as  deeply  as 
she  thought  herself  capable  of  loving,  whilst  she 
herself  was  his  joy,  his  pride,  his  vanity,  and 
his  only  love. 

Among  the  wealthy  classes  of  the  United 
States  there  is  very  little  home-life.  Women 
who  imagine  themselves  intelligent  feel  it  their 
duty  to  cultivate  their  minds.  Like  Ibsen's  hero- 
ines, they  want  to  develop  their  individuality, 
and  their  dream  is  to  be  independent  of  men. 
They  plunge  wildly  into  all  kinds  of  studies, 
pass  their  time  at  literary  or  scientific  clubs, 
leaving  their  houses  and  children  to  the  mercy 
of  Providence.  The  more  worldly-minded  ones 
think  of  nothing  but  pleasure. 

The  husbands  are  occupied  all  day  long  with 
their  business,  but  on  returning  to  their  dwell- 
ings at  night  there  is  no  quiet  home-life  for 
them  there.  They  are  not  allowed  to  come  out 
of  the  shafts,  but  only  to  change  their  harness, 
and  it  often  happens  that  the  heaviest  they  have 
to  wear  is  not  that  of  their  daily  work. 

Mr.  Ronald  gave  up  his  club  in  order  to  be 
with  his  wife  while  she  dressed.  He  loved  to 
see  her  among  all  the  beautiful  bright  silks 
which  made  up  her  attire,  and  during  this  hour 
of  tete-a-tete  they  both  spoke  of  whatever  in- 
terested them,  as  married  people  do.  He  would 
talk  art,  science,  and  politics,  while  she,  in  her 


Training  for  Society  39 

turn,  would  tell  him  all  the  incidents  of  her 
day  as  a  society  woman,  and  all  the  gossip 
gleaned  here  and  there.  Helen  would  have  been 
very  much  hurt  if  her  husband  had  not  taken 
her  into  his  confidence  about  all  which  concerned 
his  intellectual  life,  although  she  usually  listened 
to  him  in  an  absent-minded  way.  Fortunately, 
neither  of  them  was  aware  how  very  rare  a 
tiling  it  was  for  their  minds  to  be  in  touch  with 
each  other. 

Mrs.  Eonald  had  all  the  activity  of  her  com- 
patriots. The  more  visits,  amusements,  and 
events  she  could  crowd  into  her  day  the  more 
satisfied  she  was.  In  spite  of  this,  she  some- 
times felt  the  emptiness  of  her  life. 

After  long  intercourse  with  American  women, 
one  recognises  at  a  glance  those  who  have  Latin 
or  Celtic  blood  in  their  veins.  There  is  more 
dreaminess  in  their  eyes,  there  is  more  fascina- 
tion about  them,  and  more  physical  sensitive- 
ness. Their  character  has  more  light  and  shade 
and  less  strength. 

Mrs.  Ronald's  great-grandfather  was  a  Hugue- 
not from  Toulouse.  There  were,  in  her,  elements 
foreign  to  the  Saxon  race,  and  these  elements, 
unutilised,  produced  a  certain  inward  agitation, 
a  sort  of  unaccountable  discontent  which  she 
called  nervousness.  Worldly  pleasure  had  never 
entirely  satisfied  her.  She  had  studied  all  kinds 
of  extraordinary  subjects :  Buddhism,  the  occult 
sciences,  social  questions — studied  them,  of 


4Q  Eve  Triumphant 

course,  after  the  manner  of  women.  When  she 
read  in  a  French  novel  the  analysis  of  some 
grande  passion,  she  was  annoyed  that  she  had 
never  experienced  anything  similar.  It  seemed  to 
her  as  though  she  were  being  treated  like  a  child, 
and  she  felt  quite  injured.  She  wondered 
whether  the  European  soul  had  more  chords  to 
it  than  hers,  or  whether  with  her  those  chords 
had  not  vibrated.  The  love  with  which  her  hus- 
band had  inspired  her  seemed  to  her  common- 
place, and  she  blamed  him  unconsciously  for 
never  having  stirred  her  to  the  depths  of  her 
being.  "  He  is  too  perfect,"  she  would  say  to 
herself,  shrugging  her  shoulders. 

In  a  Frenchwoman,  curiosity  of  this  kind 
would  have  been  entirely  sensual,  and  a  good 
Catholic  would  not  have  failed  to  confess  her- 
self afterwards  to  her  priest.  When  an  Ameri- 
can woman  is  roused  in  this  way — and  she  often 
is  so  roused — it  is  mere  intellectual  curiosity 
with  her.  Helen  simply  wanted  to  know;  she 
did  not  care  at  all  about  feeling.  She  regretted 
never  having  experienced  the  tortures  of  jeal- 
ousy, the  struggle  with  temptation ;  she  fancied 
herself  so  strong,  so  thoroughly  proof  against 
any  moral  fall,  that  she  would  have  liked  to 
.play  with  all  these  dangerous  things.  After 
two  or  three  years  of  overstrain  caused  by  her 
social  duties  she  was  tired  out.  She  took  a 
dislike  to  everything,  and  longed  for  rest  and 
more  simplicity  of  life.  In  this  state  of  mind 


Training  for  Society  41 

she  turned  towards  the  Old  World,  to  the  mother- 
country,  with  its  soothing  influence,  for  she  had 
never  failed  to  come  back  from  there  refreshed 
and  healed  in  body  and  mind. 

Hitherto  Mr.  Eonald  had  always  accompanied 
his  wife,  but  these  periodical  journeys,  never 
particularly  interesting  to  him,  had  begun  to 
bore  him  extremely.  The  few  conversations  he 
managed  to  get  with  his  colleagues  in  foreign 
countries  did  not  compensate  him  for  the  loss  of 
his  books  and  laboratory.  He  could  not  help 
shuddering  when  he  thought  of  those  aimless 
wanderings  about  Paris;  of  the  irregular  meals, 
delayed  by  the  trying  on  of  dresses ;  the  evenings 
spent  in  the  worst-ventilated  theatres  in  the 
world;  the  invasion  of  their  rooms  every  morn- 
ing by  the  various  tradespeople,  the  exhibition 
of  hats  and  dresses  spread  out  over  all  the  fur- 
niture. The  hundreds  of  disagreeable  things  to 
which  an  American  husband  must  always  submit 
when  in  Europe  were  so  vivid  in  his  imagination 
that  he  was  not  sorry  to  have  a  good  pretext 
for  remaining  in  New  York.  For  a  long  time, 
Helen's  secret  wish  (so  secret  that  she  had  not 
even  owned  it  to  herself)  had  been  to  go  to  Paris 
alone.  She  fancied  that  it  would  be  great  fun 
to  feel  thoroughly  free  and  emancipated.  The 
danger  of  the  experiment  tempted  her  without 
her  suspecting  it.  The  puritanism  of  Mr.  Ronald 
could  not  fail  to  put  a  certain  amount  of  con- 
straint upon  her.  He  did  not  enjoy  the  lighter 


42  Eve  Triumphant 

sort  of  theatres,  and  although  he  thoroughly  un- 
derstood ordinary  French,  there  were  certain 
subtleties  of  the  language  which  escaped  him 
altogether.  From  the  expression  of  the  faces, 
he  guessed  those  vulgar  allusions  which  were 
distasteful  to  him,  and  his  young  wife,  feeling 
this,  could  not  laugh  at  them  herself.  What- 
ever may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  the  moral 
standard  of  the  majority  of  Americans  is  below 
that  of  Europeans,  but  there  are  men  among 
them  who  are  incredibly  pure-minded  and  aus- 
tere in  their  mode  of  life,  and  more  scrupulous 
in  their  conversation  than  women. 

Mr.  Ronald  belonged  to  this  superior  class. 
His  high-mindedness  inspired  Helen  with  in- 
voluntary respect.  In  his  presence,  she  was 
more  guarded  in  her  speech.  At  the  theatre  in 
Paris  it  had  often  happened  that  she  had  trans- 
lated, specially  for  his  ears,  phrases  in  certain 
pieces  which  were  somewhat  daring.  She  had 
never  ventured  to  ask  him  to  take  her  to  the 
Moulin-Rouge  and  to  the  cafe-concerts,  and  she 
naturally  desired  to  go  there.  The  prospect, 
therefore,  of  a  visit  to  Paris  with  Miss  Beau- 
champ,  and  that  most  easy-going  of  mentors,  her 
brother  Charley,  caused  her  such  delight  that 
she  could  scarcely  conceal  it.  She  was  not  really 
sorry  that  Miss  Carroll  had  postponed  her  wed- 
ding, for  she  looked  upon  her  as  an  addition 
not  to  be  despised  with  regard  to  liveliness  and 
gaiety.  Dora  was  Mr.  Ronald's  niece  by  a  half- 


Training  for  Society  43 

sister.  She  belonged  to  that  type  peculiar  to 
America,  known  as  "  the  society  girl,"  and  for 
this  there  is  no  exact  translation  in  any  lan- 
guage. The  society  girl  is  generally  rather  badly 
brought  up,  and  is  more  brilliant  than  intel- 
ligent. She  is  by  turns  polite  and  impolite, 
generous  and  mean,  kind  and  disagreeable,  a 
devoted  friend  and  a  merciless  enemy,  a  desper- 
ate flirt — altogether  a  perfect  living  medley  of 
all  sorts  of  faults  and  qualities.  As  a  char- 
acteristic trait  she  plays  the  banjo,  tosses  off 
champagne  after  the  manner  of  a  Parisian  demi- 
mondaine,  and  later  on  keeps  up  her  gaiety  with 
cocktails.  The  society  girl  ignores  punctuality 
and  correctness  under  any  form  whatever.  She 
is  always  a  button  or  hook  short  somewhere, 
and,  in  spite  of  having  the  best  of  maids,  her 
dress  is  frequently  finished  with  pins.  She 
seems,  in  fact,  to  have  been  sent  into  the  world 
to  create  disorder. 

Miss  Carroll  had  a  fairly  large  number  of 
these  characteristics;  but  they  stood  out,  as  it 
were,  against  a  background  of  such  straightfor- 
wardness and  sincerity  that  they  were  bearable. 
Then,  too,  she  had  been  brought  up  in  the  coun- 
try, and  the  open  air  had  left  something  whole- 
some about  her  which  her  successes,  her  giddy 
life,  and  her  flirtations  had  not  succeeded  in 
effacing.  From  childhood  she  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  no  restraint.  Every  one  had  yielded 
to  her  wishes:  her  parents  first,  then  her  friends, 


44  Eve  Triumphant 

and,  finally,  the  world  at  large.  Was  it  through 
weakness  on  the  part  of  her  people,  or  her  own 
superior  strength  of  will?  Be  that  as  it  may, 
she  had  grown  selfish  from  the  mere  custom  of 
expecting  everything  from  others,  and  sacrific- 
ing nothing  for  them.  She  played  the  banjo 
well,  like  a  true  artist;  and  she  drank  cham- 
pagne very  moderately,  flattering  herself  that 
she  was  independent  of  that  for  her  liveliness 
and  wit.  She  certainly  did  seem  to  have  an  in- 
exhaustible supply  of  both,  for  she  was  ever 
ready  with  her  sallies  of  wit  and  keen  shafts 
of  irony,  the  originality  of  which  completely  dis- 
armed the  victims  at  whom  they  were  hurled. 
Miss  Carroll  was  not  pretty,  but,  as  she  said 
jokingly,  she  had  been  born  chic.  She  had  one 
of  those  graceful,  lithe  figures  which  withstand 
all  the  ravages  of  age  or  maternity,  and  which 
made  her  an  excellent  horsewoman.  Her  one 
dream,  as  a  young  girl,  had  been  to  lose  her 
money,  and  to  go  and  exhibit  her  exceptional 
talent  in  the  ring  of  the  large  circuses  of  Europe 
— for  fabulous  pay,  of  course.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  after  seeing  her  in  the  saddle,  looking  as 
though  she  and  her  horse  were  one>  a  keen 
sportsman  would  have  fallen  desperately  in  love 
with  her. 

It  was  not  at  all  surprising  that  she  had 
turned  Mr.  Ascott's  head,  and  many  another 
man's  besides.  Jack  had  proved  himself  the 
most  devoted  and  the  most  persevering  of  her 


Training  for  Society  45 

admirers,  and  he  had  succeeded  in  awaking 
within  her  something  which  resembled  love.  He 
alone  knew  what  sacrifices  and  torture  this  con- 
quest had  cost  him.  As  he  possessed  a  large 
fortune,  he  had  deemed  it  unnecessary  to  take 
up  any  career,  and  on  leaving  Harvard  Univer- 
sity had  lived  the  life  of  a  society  man — a  life 
which  is  more  aimless  and  empty  in  America 
than  in  Europe.  He  had  made  a  display  of  his 
carriages, — many  and  various, — had  taken  all 
the  prettiest  girls  out  driving  in  grand  style, 
hawked  about  from  one  society  gathering  to  an- 
other hundreds  of  nice  little  stories  which  he 
told  well  (a  talent  very  much  appreciated  by 
women),  and  the  rest  of  his  time  he  spent  at  his 
club,  going  into  all  sorts  of  political  questions 
between  sundry  cocktails  and  other  restoratives. 

The  American  woman  is  too  active  herself  to 
have  patience  with  an  idle  man;  she  has  the 
most  utter  contempt  for  him,  and  in  his  own 
country  considers  him  out  of  place  and  ridic- 
ulous. Miss  Carroll  having  declared  to  Mr. 
Ascott  that  she  would  never  be  the  wife  of  a 
man  who  did  nothing,  he  had  gone  into  partner- 
ship with  one  of  his  friends  who  was  a  banker, 
and,  thanks  to  his  hereditary  qualities,  had  by 
the  end  of  a  few  months  proved  himself  to  be 
a  splendid  business  man. 

Dora,  touched  by  this  conversion  to  work,  had 
finally  accepted  him,  and  then,  as  though  furi- 
ous at  having  been  persuaded  to  give  up  her 


46  Eve  Triumphant 

liberty,  she  did  not  fail  to  make  him  pay  dearly 
for  his  victory.  She  was  most  exacting,  capri- 
cious, and  fanciful  with  him;  and  then,  when 
she  felt  that  she  had  tried  his  patience  to  the 
utmost  limits,  she  would  go  to  him  like  a  little 
child,  with  a  charming,  penitent  air  which  she 
knew  was  irresistible,  and  say :  "  Jack,  I  am 
good  now,  I  am,  really."  She  never  had  the 
grace  to  say,  "  I  will  be  good,"  as  she  did  not 
care  about  binding  herself  beforehand,  and  the 
good-hearted  young  man  always  forgave  her. 
As  she  had  owned  to  her  uncle,  Dora  had  never 
met  any  one  she  liked  better  than  her  fiance,  and 
she  would  not  have  cared  to  give  him  up  to 
any  other  woman.  In  two  or  three  words  she 
had  herself  declared  the  measure  of  her  love, 
and  such  love  could  very  well  wait.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  when  she  heard  that  her  uncle  and  aunt 
were  going  to  Europe,  she  began  to  regret  hav- 
ing fixed  her  wedding  for  the  month  of  June. 
After  the  regret  came  the  desire  to  postpone  it. 
She  fought  against  this  new  whim  for  some  time, 
and  one  day  she  even  wrote  to  order  her  dress 
from  Doucet's;  but  by  one  of  those  phenomena 
which  serve  to  lead  us  in  the  way  we  are  to 
go,  a  whole  series  of  pictures  rose  at  once  in 
her  mind — she  saw  the  Eue  de  la  Paix,  with 
its  shop  windows  all  sparkling  with  jewellery 
and  diamonds,  and  its  shops  full  of  artistic 
finery  of  all  descriptions.  Fascinated  irresist- 
ibly by  this  tempting  vision,  she  threw  down 


Training  for  Society  47 

her  pen,  tore  the  letter  she  had  commenced  into 
bits,  and  said  aloud  in  her  most  resolute  tone: 
"  I  will  go  and  choose  my  wedding-dress  myself." 
In  order  to  spare  Mr.  Ascott's  feelings,  rather 
than  in  fear  of  being  blamed  herself,  Dora  de- 
clared that  on  account  of  her  mother's  health 
she  was  obliged  to  accompany  her  to  Carlsbad. 
Mrs.  Carroll  was  delighted  at  this  arrangement. 
The  American  woman,  on  whom,  nevertheless, 
the  conjugal  yoke  sits  very  lightly,  always  pre- 
fers seeing  her  daughter  escape  it,  and  keep  her 
freedom.  Jack  was  desperate  at  his  fiancee's 
latest  caprice.  He  made  the  mistake  of  getting 
into  a  temper,  and  of  accusing  her  of  going  to 
Europe  in  search  of  a  husband  with  a  title.  She, 
like  a  true  woman,  was  offended  at  his  sus- 
picions, and  finally  brought  him  round  to  beg 
her  pardon.  Helen  and  Dora  imagined  they 
were  going  to  Paris  solely  to  enjoy  themselves 
and  to  buy  finery.  In  reality,  they  were  being 
sent  there  by  Providence,  the  one  in  order  to 
receive  the  baptism  of  fire,  the  other  to  learn  a 
great  lesson ;  both  of  them  to  fulfil  their  destiny. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  UBIQUITOUS  STRANGER 

MRS.  RONALD,  with  her  aunt  and  brother, 
and  Miss  Carroll,  with  her  mother,  had 
been  in  Paris  a  fortnight.  They  had  taken 
one  of  the  large  suites  of  rooms  at  the  Hdtel 
Continental,  and  the  magnificent  salon  wThich 
looks  on  the  Rue  de  Castiglione  and  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli  was  decorated  with  flowers,  and 
full  of  the  pretty  things  they  had  picked  up 
here  and  there. 

On  leaving  her  husband  for  the  first  time, 
Helen  had  felt  as  though  something  within  her 
were  being  torn  asunder,  and  she  had  suffered 
keenly.  While  making  her  preparations  for  the 
voyage,  she  had  experienced  a  sort  of  oppression 
at  her  heart  like  a  presentiment  of  coming  evil. 
She  had  had  pangs  of  fear  and  regret,  and,  as 
though  seized  with  remorse,  had  even  said  one 
day  to  Mr.  Ronald: 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  that  you  do  not  mind 
this  trip?  " 

"  Quite  sure,  dearest,"  he  had  replied,  with  his 
usual  kindness,  "  since  it  is  for  the  sake  of  your 
health  and  enjoyment." 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  49 

When  the  moment  came  to  leave  the  kind  and 
loving  companion  of  her  life,  she  had  clung  to 
him  like  a  child  frightened  at  some  one  or  at 
something.  Henry,  deeply  moved,  had  clasped 
her  closely  to  his  breast,  and  then  gently  loosened 
her  arms  from  his  neck. 

"  Good-bye  until  September,"  he  had  said ;  and 
then,  making  an  effort  to  smile,  he  added :  "  Do 
not  ask  to  extend  your  leave  of  absence,  though, 
for  I  could  not  exist  any  longer  without  you." 

"  I  should  hope  you  could  n't,"  Helen  had  an- 
swered, with  a  last  fond  look.  "  I  wish  I  were 
coming  back  now  instead  of  going." 

Dora,  on  her  part,  had  felt  a  certain  amount 
of  regret  for  her  conduct  towards  Jack.  She 
had  even  been  tempted  to  say  to  him,  as  she  had 
so  often  done :  "  I  am  good  now ;  I  am  quite 
good,"  and  then  give  up  her  journey;  but  the 
allurement  of  all  the  anticipated  enjoyment  had 
acted  on  her  imagination,  and  so  she  had 
started. 

All  the  impressions  which  both  women  had 
felt  at  the  parting  had  been  quickly  dispersed, 
and  nothing  troubled  them  at  present.  They 
wrote  long  letters  by  every  mail, — the  one  to 
her  husband  and  the  other  to  her  fiance, — telling 
most  scrupulously  all  that  they  were  doing ;  and 
when  once  this  duty  was  accomplished,  they  felt 
at  peace  with  their  consciences. 

The  Parisian  season  had  commenced,  so  that 
they  had  plenty  of  choice  as  regarded  amuse- 


50  Eve  Triumphant 

merits,  and  Charley  Beauchamp  took  them  every- 
where they  wanted  to  go. 

Helen's  brother  was  one  of  those  bachelors 
such  as  are  to  be  found  only  in  the  United  States, 
and  whom  American  women  can  claim  as  their 
own  especial  creation. 

In  most  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  a  wealthy 
unmarried  man  has  usually  an  acknowledged 
mistress — some  woman  whom  he  has  discovered 
and  brought  out,  or  whom  he  has  won  from  an- 
other man.  He  keeps  her  in  more  or  less  luxurious 
style,  and  has  the  same  sort  of  pride  in  her  as 
in  his  horses  or  his  carriages.  Women  of  his 
own  class  do  not  consider  this  any  crime.  On 
the  contrary,  they  look  only  too  indulgently 
upon  the  "  favourite,"  and  they  admire  or  criti- 
cise her  beauty  and  dress.  The  generosity  which 
her  jewels  and  equipages  go  to  prove  gives  him 
prestige. 

The  American  woman  does  not  condone  these 
little  delinquencies.  She  will  not  allow  any 
rivals  either  in  the  house  or  in  the  street.  Ac- 
cording to  her  way  of  thinking,  rare  flowers, 
jewels,  priceless  laces,  and  all  the  beautiful 
things  in  the  world  belong  by  right  to  virtuous 
women.  This  is  a  principle  the  application  of 
which  she  insists  on  as  much  as  possible.  The 
man  who  should  venture  to  make  a  parade  of 
a  liaison  would  find  all  houses  closed  to  him, 
and  would  be  ruthlessly  boycotted.  For  want 
of  worse,  masculine  vanity  is  compelled  to  feed 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  51 

itself  upon  the  favours  of  society  girls  and 
women,  and  these  favours  are  only  to  be  ob- 
tained at  a  high  price,  so  that  certain  men  have 
to  spend  a  fortune  every  year  in  flowers,  jewel- 
lery, boxes  at  the  theatre,  and  pleasure  parties. 
The  American,  although  more  chivalrous  and 
disinterested  than  the  European,  is  not  perfect. 
One  pays  for  all,  as  a  rule,  and  these  Pachas  in 
silk  hats  are  pampered,  feted,  and  lauded  to  the 
skies  by  the  others.  They  are  closely  watched, 
and  are  not  allowed  the  leisure  to  think  of  mar- 
riage, so  that  without  being  aware  of  it  them- 
selves, they  gradually  dwindle  into  old  bachelors. 

Charley  Beauchamp  was  one  of  these  soft- 
hearted, easy-going  creatures.  He  had  quite  a 
bevy  of  women  friends,  whom  he  took  out  in 
his  carriages  or  yacht,  and  to  whom  he  offered 
exquisite  dinners  in  his  bachelor  abode — dinners 
which  were  presided  over  in  the  most  correct 
way  by  his  aunt,  Miss  Beauchamp,  or  by  his 
sister.  He  liked  to  be  surrounded  by  pretty 
women.  This  was  his  one  weakness,  and  vanity 
and  his  princely  generosity  had  won  for  him  a 
popularity  which  made  him  blissfully  happy. 

Charley  was  a  man  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 
with  brown  hair  which  was  beginning  to  turn 
grey,  a  slight,  muscular  figure,  and  refined, 
regular  features,  which  were  very  clearly  cut. 
His  whole  appearance  gave  the  impression  of 
energy,  activity,  and  strength  of  will.  His  face, 
the  lines  of  which  were  somewhat  hard,  was  soft- 


52  Eve  Triumphant 

ened  by  blue  eyes,  wonderfully  set, — a  charac- 
teristic of  the  American  race, — eyes  which  had 
always  made  Helen  envious.  In  his  expression, 
as  in  his  sister's,  there  was  something  of  that 
Latin  charm  which  both  of  them  had  inherited 
from  their  ancestors. 

Mr.  Beauchamp  was  making  one  of  those 
colossal  fortunes  which  are  the  astonishment  of 
the  Old  World.  The  struggle  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  from 
which  he  could  not  withdraw,  had  not  failed  to 
tell  on  his  constitution.  Like  most  of  his  com- 
patriots, he  scarcely  ever  came  to  Europe  except 
when  his  strength  was  exhausted  and  he  felt 
that  his  brain  was  about  to  give  way.  He  would 
then  throw  a  few  things  into  his  trunk,  and 
leave  by  the  first  steamer.  He  was  passionately 
fond  of  pictures,  and  the  atmosphere  and  silence 
of  the  museums  took  instantaneous  effect  upon 
him,  and  produced  a  sort  of  relaxation  which 
refreshed  him  in  the  most  wonderful  manner. 
He  never  looked  out  for  the  well-known  pictures 
wrhich  every  one  talked  about,  but  it  was  his 
delight  to  discover  unknown  works  of  art,  and 
the  collection  which  he  possessed  testified  to  a 
true  perception  of  art  and  beauty. 

This  stay  in  Paris  with  his  sister,  whom  he 
adored,  and  Miss  Carroll,  who  amused  him  as 
no  one  else  ever  did,  was  a  thorough  enjoyment 
to  him,  and  under  the  influence  of  all  this  he 
began  to  look  quite  youthful  again. 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  53 

As  for  Helen  and  Dora,  they  enjoyed  them- 
selves like  two  schoolgirls  during  the  holidays. 
Every  fine  morning  they  started  off  cycling, 
escorted  by  Charley,  spinning  along  in  the 
direction  of  some  little  country  town  or  village 
in  the  suburbs  of  Paris,  and  returning  for 
luncheon  at  the  Armenonville  pavilion. 

In  the  evening,  while  Aunt  Sophie  and  Mrs. 
Carroll  remained  quietly  at  the  hotel,  Mr.  Beau- 
champ  took  the  others  to  dine  at  one  of  the 
large  restaurants,  and  afterwards  to  the  theatre. 
On  leaving  the  theatre  they  had  supper,  or  else 
went  in  to  one  of  the  fashionable  cafes  under 
pretence  of  hearing  the  Tzigane  band.  The  grain 
of  perversity  which  was  in  the  nature  of  the 
two  American  women  made  them  feel  a  certain 
pleasure  which  they  did  not  analyse  in  this 
atmosphere,  heavy  with  cigar  smoke,  the  odour 
of  spirits,  and  women's  perfumes.  While  nib- 
bling the  fried  potatoes  out  of  the  little  baskets, 
they  never  tired  of  watching  the  demi-mondaines 
and  of  examining  carefully  their  toilettes.  They 
would  estimate  the  value  of  their  jewellery  and 
their  furs,  and  do  their  utmost  to  discover 
the  charm  to  which  these  women  owed  all  their 
costly  things.  These  studies  of  Parisian  man- 
ners and  customs  were  prolonged  till  one  or  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  yet  this  was  the 
rest  in  search  of  which  Mrs.  Ronald  had  come  to 
Europe !  Often  she  would  go  to  the  Colonne  and 
Lamoureux  concerts,  or  visit  picture  galleries, 


54  Eve  Triumphant 

when  the  artist  within  her  would  experience  the 
keenest  pleasure.  In  fact,  everything  interested 
her.  The  American,  as  we  have  said  elsewhere, 
is,  as  a  rule,  merely  a  sightseer.  Helen,  however, 
was  something  more,  as  the  shape  of  her  fore- 
head indicated  clearly.  Like  the  majority  of  her 
compatriots,  she  knew  what  French  taste  was, 
and  also  French  wit  such  as  is  provided  at  the 
theatre,  but  the  French  soul  seemed  as  foreign 
to  her  as  the  Oriental  soul.  Curiously  enough, 
what  she  had  seen  of  it  when  a  young  girl  at 
the  Convent  of  the  Assumption  came  back  to 
her  mind,  and  made  her  wish  to  penetrate  still 
more  deeply  into  it.  She  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity of  talking  to  any  workmen  whom  she 
employed,  and  she  was  delighted  with  their  refine- 
ment. She  discovered  in  them  delicate  and  often 
exquisite  sentiments,  which  she  had  never  recog- 
nised in  England  or  Germany  in  persons  of  the 
same  station.  She  had  noticed  the  delicate,  al- 
most affectionate  way  in  which  milliners,  dress- 
makers, or  seamstresses  handled  the  work  of 
their  fingers — a  way  which  revealed  the  artist 
in  them.  Even  the  servant-maids  at  the  hotel 
seemed  to  feel  a  certain  amount  of  pride  in  ful- 
filling their  various  duties.  In  the  Champs 
Elys6es,  Helen  often  stopped  to  watch  the  child- 
ren playing.  She  did  not  consider  them  as 
pretty  as  the  English  and  American  children, 
but  she  was  always  struck  with  the  depth  of 
expression  in  their  eyes.  She  felt,  without  being 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  55 

able  to  give  it  a  name,  that  power  of  idealism, 
that  spark  of  divine  fire,  which  is  the  occult  force 
of  France. 

The  society  men  whom  Mrs.  Ronald  saw  in 
the  Rue  de  la  Paix,  in  the  Bois,  or  at  the  theatre, 
interested  her  extremely.  When  they  were  talk- 
ing to  a  woman  the  expression  of  their  faces 
always  made  Helen  want  to  know  what  they 
could  be  saying.  One  of  them  in  particular  had 
roused  her  curiosity.  She  kept  meeting  him  all 
the  time,  and  had  seen  him  in  the  Bois,  at  several 
picture  galleries,  at  the  restaurant,  at  Voisin's, 
and  Joseph's.  He  was  a  man  of  about  sixty 
years  of  age,  tall,  and  strongly  built;  his  hair 
was  almost  white,  and  his  dark  eyes  must  for- 
merly have  been  dangerously  eloquent ;  but  they 
only  reflected  now  either  a  great  sorrow  or  else 
utter  weariness,  except  when  lighted  up  now  and 
then  with  an  enigmatic  smile.  On  observing 
him  closely,  one  fancied  that  his  ancestors  had 
worn  silks,  feathers,  and  laces,  had  commanded 
armies,  and  served  the  king  and  women.  That 
something  rare,  that  something  which  will  ever 
distinguish  men  of  the  aristocracy,  could  be  dis- 
cerned in  this  stranger,  and  gave  him  a  special 
fascination,  which  acted  unconsciously  but  ir- 
resistibly on  Mrs.  Ronald.  She  surnamed  him 
the  "  Prince,"  and  she  would  keep  her  eyes  on 
him  as  long  as  she  dared,  fascinated  by  his  dig- 
nified bearing.  On  his  side,  the  old  nobleman 
looked  at  her  with  visible  pleasure.  Charley  had 


56  Eve  Triumphant 

made  this  the  subject  of  plenty  of  jokes,  de- 
claring that  if  this  admirer  were  twenty  years 
younger,  he  should  feel  it  his  duty  to  warn  his 
brother-in-law. 

One  evening  Mr.  Beauchamp  was  inspired  to 
take  Helen,  Dora,  and  one  of  her  friends,  Willie 
Grey,  a  young  American  artist,  who  was  study- 
ing under  Paul  Laurens,  to  the  Caf6  de  Paris. 
The  "  Prince "  happened  to  be  there,  and  the 
newcomers  were  placed  at  a  table  quite  near  to 
his.  He  was  not  facing  them,  but  could  see  them 
in  the  glass  opposite  him.  He  had  undoubtedly 
just  arrived,  for  Helen  heard  him  order  his 
dinner,  and  a  regular  connoisseur's  dinner  it  was. 

"  Our  neighbour  knows  how  to  eat,"  she  said 
in  English. 

"  With  a  back  like  his,  that  does  not  surprise 
me,"  answered  Miss  Carroll,  in  the  same  lan- 
guage. "  I  could  have  guessed  his  menu  from 
his  back." 

Instead  of  seeing  any  harm  in  the  young  girl's 
words,  as  Europeans  would  not  have  failed  to 
do,  Charley  and  his  friend  laughed  heartily  and 
unreservedly. 

"  What  has  the  back  to  do  with  one's  manner 
of  dining?" 

"  Everything,"  answered  Dora,  with  a  wise 
air.  "  It  has  a  great  deal  of  expression.  This 
one,"  indicating  by  a  jerk  of  her  head  the 
"  Prince's,"  "  is — how  shall  I  say  it? — an  old 
sinner's  back." 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  57 

"  Would  my  back  come  under  that  category?  " 
asked  Mr.  Beauchamp,  turning  his  head,  and 
trying  to  see  that  part  of  his  person. 

"  No,  no,  my  dear  Charley ;  don't  disturb 
yourself.  You  have  a  virtuous  back,"  answered 
Miss  Carroll,  with  a  shade  of  disdain  in  her 
voice. 

Just  at  this  moment  Mrs.  Ronald,  who  had 
glanced  round  at  the  stranger,  met  his  eyes  in 
the  glass,  and  saw  on  his  lips  a  smile,  the  ex- 
pression of  which  made  her  colour  up  violently. 

"  Hush ! "  she  said  to  the  young  girl ;  "  I  am 
sure  our  neighbour  understands  English." 

"  No  fear !  Only  the  Frenchmen  who  have 
married  our  countrywomen  can  speak  it  a  little. 
When  this  man  was  young,  America  was  cer- 
tainly discovered,  but  not  the  American  girl." 

Helen  was  not  by  any  means  reassured,  and 
in  order  to  change  the  subject  she  began  to  talk 
to  the  young  artist  about  his  picture  in  the 
Salon  of  the  Champs  Elysees,  which  she  had 
seen  the  day  before. 

During  this  time  Dora  was  looking  round,  half 
closing  her  eyes,  after  the  manner  of  cats,  and 
then  opening  them  wide  when  they  had  seized 
an  impression.  It  was  a  habit  peculiar  to  her, 
causing  her  to  make  a  sort  of  little  grimace 
which,  far  from  being  disagreeable,  had  a  certain 
charm. 

"  Ah,  I  know  now  why  it  is  that  Frenchmen 
look  so  queer ! "  she  exclaimed  suddenly,  in  the 


58  Eve  Triumphant 

triumphant  tone  of  a  person  who  had  just  made 
a  discovery. 

"  Look  queer !  "  echoed  Willie  Grey.  "  I  al- 
ways think  they  are  very  interesting,  for  my 
part ! " 

"  Yes,  certainly,  they  are  interesting;  but  that 
does  not  prevent  them  from  looking  queer;  and 
the  reason  of  it  is  that  their  moustaches  belong 
to  another  epoch." 

"Indeed!" 

"  Yes,  they  belong  to  the  Middle  Ages,  or  to 
the  eighteenth  century;  they  are  royalist,  im- 
perialist, swaggering,  heroic,  witty-looking.  They 
always  appear  to  be  rebelling  against  some  one 
or  something.  They  are  the  nicest  mousitaches 
in  the  world,  but  they  do  not  go  with  the  modern 
costume  at  all — no,  not  at  all,"  repeated  the 
young  girl,  after  examining  the  various  men  who 
were  dining  there. 

"  There  is  some  truth  in  what  you  say,  Miss 
Carroll,"  remarked  the  young  artist,  rather 
astonished  at  such  profound  observation ;  "  then, 
too,  Frenchmen  dress  so  badly." 

"  You  are  right,"  remarked  Mrs.  Ronald ; 
"  their  clothes  never  look  as  though  they  had 
been  made  for  them.  In  England  it  is  just  the 
opposite;  the  men  are  admirably  well-dressed, 
and  the  women  very  badly.  I  wonder  why  it 
is?" 

"  Because  the  Englishman,  who  is  generally 
well-built,  inspires  the  tailor,  whilst  the  Eng- 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  59 

lishwoman — hem!  .  .  .  One  would  think  that 
the  Creator  had  used  up  all  the  clay  in  making 
the  man,  and  that  there  was  not  enough  left  for 
her.  She  looks  unfinished— 

The  two  American  women  coloured  slightly, 
and  then  smiled. 

"  Go  on — go  on,  Mr.  Grey,"  said  Dora ;  "  it 
is  very  clear  that  you  have  become  quite 
Parisian." 

"  Have  I  shocked  you?  I  thought  that  was 
what  you  had  come  to  Europe  for;  at  least,  you 
owned  that  you  had." 

"  I  prefer  being  shocked  by  foreigners,  though, 
and  not  by  my  countrymen." 

"  I  like  that  distinction,"  remarked  Mr.  Beau- 
champ,  in  a  bantering  tone.  "  None  of  our 
shortcomings  are  ever  overlooked,  and  we  are 
never  allowed  to  take  any  liberties." 

"  Oh,  it  is  much  better  to  be  a  man  in  Europe 
than  in  America,"  added  Mr.  Grey. 

"  That  is  flattering  for  the  women  in  your  own 
country,"  said  Miss  Carroll.  "  If  I  repeated 
that  in  New  York,  you  would  be  nicely  received 
on  your  return !  " 

"  Do  you  know,"  began  Mrs.  Ronald  again, 
"  what  in  my  opinion  does  not  suit  France? — 
it  is  the  Republic.  Each  time  I  come  over  here 
I  find  less  elegance  and  less  courtesy." 

"  There  is  no  denying  that  a  court  has  a  con- 
siderable influence  over  the  tastes  and  manners 
of  a  country,"  said  the  artist.  "  In  the  little 


60  Eve  Triumphant 

provincial  towns,  for  instance,  where  there  is  a 
royal  castle,  such  as  Fontainebleau,  the  homes  in 
the  neighbourhood  are  less  commonplace,  less 
bourgeois.  I  have  known  women  of  the  lower 
class,  who,  after  making  money  in  some  little 
business,  have  bought  curious  pieces  of  old  fur- 
niture, and  not  for  the  sake  of  being  chic,  but 
from  that  sense  of  the  artistic  created  in  them 
by  the  models  which  their  grandparents  or  they 
themselves  had  been  accustomed  to  seeing." 

"  I  am  like  Helen,"  said  Mr.  Beauchamp ;  "  I 
cannot  help  regretting  that  France  is  not  either 
a  monarchy  or  an  empire." 

"  Certainly  one  or  other  of  these  modes  of 
government  would  be  more  decorative,  and  would 
have  more  prestige;  but  I  fancy,  after  all,  that 
Republicanism  is  in  the  blood,  for  you  see  that 
the  French  have  come  back  to  it  three  times. 
On  reading  their  history,  one  is  surprised  to 
find  that  there  are  any  candidates  for  royalty 
left.  Never  fear;  France,  although  Republican, 
and  perhaps  on  that  account,  is  very  powerful." 

"  Not  as  powerful  as  England,  though,"  said 
Mrs.  Ronald. 

"  Yes,  it  is.  The  greatness  of  the  one  is  in 
width  and  extent,  while  the  greatness  of  the 
other  is  in  height  and  depth.  That  is  just  the 
difference." 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Charley,  "  I  believe  that 
the  great  force  of  France  lies  in  her  raison 
d'etre.  If  certain  nations  were  wiped  off  the 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  61 

face  of  the  globe  we  should  scarcely  notice  any 
difference ;  but  if  France  were  to  disappear,  there 
would  be  a  precious  lot  less  light,  and  gaiety, 
and  beauty  in  the  world." 

"  That  is  what  I  have  often  thought.  I  am 
a  loyal  habitue  of  the  Rue  de  la  Paix.  It  has 
an  irresistible  attraction  for  me,  and  I  stand 
like  a  woman,  gazing  at  all  its  windows.  The 
pieces  of  goldsmith's  work  at  Boucheron's  are 
my  delight.  It  has  required  centuries  of  effort, 
of  work,  and  of  research  to  obtain  such  marvel- 
lous softness  of  outline  and  form,  and  to  arrive 
at  idealising  matter  in  this  way.  I  know  how 
far  behind  we  are,  and  how  much  there  is  to 
do  before  we  can  attain  to  this  perfection;  and 
I  think  that  as  long  as  France  will  produce  these 
little  masterpieces,  these  exquisitely  wrought 
ornaments,  she  will  never  perish,  for  she  is  des- 
tined to  keep  up  the  taste  and  to  launch  the 
ideas  of  Providence.  The  nation  which  has  re- 
ceived this  mission  can  fearlessly  brave  death 
under  any  form,  for  it  bears  within  itself  that 
which  is  indestructible." 

"  Mr.  Grey,"  said  Dora,  with  her  usual  mis- 
chievousness,  "  it  is  easy  to  see  that  your  pic- 
ture has  been  accepted.  Continue  praising  the 
French,  and  it  will  be  bought  by  the  State." 

"  The  acceptance  of  my  picture  has  not  influ- 
enced my  opinions;  do  me  the  honour  of  be- 
lieving that,"  answered  the  young  man,  with 
dignity.  "  I  have  lived  here  three  years,  and  I 


62  Eve  Triumphant 

have  had  both  time  and  opportunity  to  get  a 
clear  idea  as  to  the  worth  of  people.  For  instance, 
a  few  months  ago  I  was  at  a  restaurant  in  Brus- 
sels. Four  Frenchmen  were  dining  at  a  table 
near;  they  were  common-looking,  badly  dressed, 
and  wore  awful  neckties.  With  their  serviettes 
fastened  under  their  chins,  they  were  picking 
bones,  and  appeared  utterly  to  ignore  the  art 
of  eating  in  a  civilised  way.  All  at  once  I 
was  struck  by  their  conversation.  One  of  them, 
in  the  most  exquisite  language,  was  speaking  of 
the  new  astronomical  discoveries.  He  advanced 
the  theory  that  there  must  be  some  means  of 
communication  between  the  planets  of  the  same 
solar  system.  *  We  shall  find  it — oh,  we  shall 
find  it!'  he  affirmed;  and  then,  like  a  poet,  his 
eyes  sparkling  with  animation,  he  spoke  of  the 
emotion  he  felt  when,  with  the  telescope  turned 
towards  the  sky,  his  gaze  wandered  amongst  the 
stars,  and,  in  presence  of  the  Infinite,  in  the 
silence  of  the  heavens,  he  heard  the  ticking  of 
the  sidereal  clock  counting  the  seconds  of  the 
Earth.  t  What  excitement ! '  he  said ;  *  it  makes 
one  turn  dizzy  and  takes  one's  breath;  one  is 
terrified,  positively  terrified!  It  is  quite  true,' 
he  added,  striking  the  table  with  the  flat  of  his 
hand,  '  there  are  no  nights  of  revelry  equal  to 
those  nights  at  the  Observatory ! '  His  compan- 
ions spoke  in  their  turn  of  the  chemical  agents 
lately  discovered.  *  We  shall  delay  the  final  de- 
struction, we  shall  transform  the  soil,  we  shall 


The  Ubiquitous  Stranger  63 

discover  the  origin  of  man — his  true  origin,'  they 
said.  I  listened  to  them  perfectly  dazed  and 
fascinated,  stupidly  surprised  to  find  that  men 
of  such  careless  appearance  should  be  able  to 
grapple  with  such  stupendous  ideas,  forgetting 
that  concentration  is  to  thought  what  heat  is  to 
the  plant,  and  that  it  cannot  be  weakened  by 
preoccupation  about  matters  of  toilette  and  ele- 
gance. While  listening  to  these  bourgeois.,  who 
had  come  to  represent  their  country  at  a  scien- 
tific congress,  I  understood,  as  I  had  never  done 
before,  how  it  is  that  in  France  the  men  of 
the  aristocracy  have  ceased  to  be  the  governing 
classes." 

"  Oh,  as  for  them,  they  have  nothing  left  but 
their  moustaches!  "  said  Dora,  with  her  uncon- 
scious brutality. 

Again  Mrs.  Ronald  glanced  at  the  mirror. 
She  saw  a  flash  of  anger  come  into  the  eyes  of 
the  "  Prince,"  and,  convinced  that  he  had 
understood,  she  pressed  her  foot  on  Miss 
Carroll's. 

"  Do  take  care,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice ;  "  I 
am  sure  he  understands  English." 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  him ;  he  should  not 
listen  then." 

"  Really,  you  seem  worse  in  Europe  than  you 
did  in  America." 

"Thanks!  Well,  let  us  talk  politics."  And 
in  order  to  change  the  subject,  the  young  girl 
started  a  conversation  about  affairs  in  her  own 


64  Eve  Triumphant 

country  in  a  way  which  proved  that  she  was 
well  informed. 

The  "  Prince,"  after  finishing  his  dinner, 
sipped  a  cup  of  Turkish  coffee  and,  after  light- 
ing his  cigar,  rose  from  the  table.  As  he  passed 
by  the  Americans,  he  glanced  at  Miss  Carroll 
with  such  severity  and  dignity  in  his  expression 
that  she  was  quite  abashed,  and  could  not  help 
the  colour  coming  into  her  face.  Helen  begged 
her  brother  to  ask  the  waiter  who  their  neighbour 
was. 

"  It  is  the  Count  de  Limeray,"  he  answered, 
"  and  a  true  count  he  is — one  of  the  right  sort." 

"  The  Count  de  Limeray,"  repeated  Helen. 
"  I  knew  he  was  an  aristocrat.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  we  don't  meet  him  at  Madame  d'Anguil- 
hon's,  or  at  the  De  Keradieus'.  I  should  sink 
underground  with  shame." 

"  I  should  n't,"  said  Dora,  who  had  recovered 
her  self-assurance. 


CHAPTER  IV 

AS  OTHERS  SEE  US 

MKS.  RONALD  had  from  her  earliest  child- 
hood known  Annie  Villars,  the  wealthy 
heiress  who  had  married  a  Frenchman,  the 
Marquis  d'Anguilhon. 

Her  friend's  marriage  had  been  a  great  trouble 
to  Helen ;  she  had  criticised  it  severely,  and,  like 
all  the  people  in  her  own  set,  had  considered  it 
as  a  sort  of  defection.  It  had  robbed  the  coun- 
try of  a  young  girl  of  good  family  and  of  im- 
mense wealth ;  and  although  American  jingoism 
had  not  yet  developed  in  all  its  beauty,  as  it  was 
destined  to  do  at  the  time  of  the  late  war,  still 
these  two  great  losses  had  been  bewailed  on  the 
ground  of  patriotism. 

Four  years  had  passed  by,  and  the  young  wife 
had  not  once  returned  to  New  York.  Every  one 
had  blamed  the  Marquis  for  not  showing  more 
eagerness  to  visit  the  country  which  had  sup- 
plied him  with  the  money  he  was  spending. 
Comments  on  the  subject  continued,  and  it  was 
all  in  vain  that  Annie's  mother  showed  her 
daughter's  letters  to  her  friends.  Every  one 
persisted  in  believing  that  there  was  a  "  snake 

65 


66  Eve  Triumphant 

in  the  grass."  A  conjugal  catastrophe  was  pre- 
dicted, and  was  perhaps  even  desired,  in  order 
that  heiresses  might  be  edified  as  to  the  success 
and  happiness  of  Europe-American  marriages. 
The  preceding  summer  the  Marquis  and  the  Mar- 
chioness had  made  their  appearance  at  Newport. 
Mrs.  Villars  had  rented  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful houses  of  this  celebrated  watering-place,  in 
order  to  entertain  them,  and  their  visit  had  been 
the  event  of  the  season. 

At  the  first  meeting,  Mrs.  Ronald  was  cap- 
tivated by  the  face  and  manners  of  Jacques 
d'Anguilhon.  She  turned  the  current  of  public 
opinion  in  his  favour.  He  was  declared  fascinat- 
ing, and  his  success  was  a  triumph  for  Annie. 
To  the  great  disappointment  of  all  the  society 
women,  at  the  end  of  three  weeks  he  started  off 
for  Canada  with  his  friend,  the  Baron  de  Kera- 
dieu,  another  Frenchman  who  had  married  an 
American  woman. 

During  her  stay  at  Newport,  Annie  saw  a 
great  deal  of  Mrs.  Ronald.  She  begged  her  to 
come  to  Paris  the  following  spring,  so  that  she 
might  have  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  her. 
This  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  Helen  had  fixed 
the  date  of  her  trip  for  the  month  of  April,  as 
she  had  the  greatest  desire  to  explore  that 
famous  Faubourg  St.  Germain,  which  seemed  to 
her  a  sort  of  holy  ground.  The  Marchioness 
d'Anguilhon  was  in  delicate  health,  and  there- 
fore stayed  as  long  as  she  possibly  could  at  the 


As  Others  See  Us  67 

Chateau  de  St.  Michel  at  Cannes.  The  De  Kera- 
dieus,  who  had  been  spending  the  winter  in 
Rome,  lingered  on  there,  so  that  neither  of  the 
two  families  returned  to  Paris  before  the  first 
week  in  May.  The  very  day  after  her  return, 
Annie  called  on  her  compatriots,  and  asked  them 
to  her  Thursday  dinner-party — a  Franco- Ameri- 
can gathering,  to  which  she  only  invited  her 
best  friends.  Mrs.  Ronald,  Dora,  and  Mr.  Beau- 
champ  accepted;  but  Mrs.  Carroll  and  Aunt 
Sophie,  who  did  not  care  about  foreigners,  de- 
clined on  the  pretext  of  their  health. 

Mrs.  Ronald  had  not  seen  the  Marquis  since 
meeting  him  at  Newport,  and  was  anxious  to 
hear  his  impressions  of  America,  and  to  have 
some  conversation  writh  him  again.  He  had  in- 
terested her  greatly,  and  she  had  felt  flattered 
at  the  marked  attention  he  had  paid  her. 

On  the  way  to  the  d'Anguilhons7,  Helen  begged 
Dora  for  the  hundredth  time  to  be  careful  and 
not  to  say  everything  which  came  into  her  mind. 
The  young  girl,  good-tempered  though  she  was, 
naturally  took  offence  at  last. 

"  By  the  way  you  talk,"  she  said,  "  any  one 
would  think  I  had  come  from  the  Far  West." 

"  No,  but  you  are  rather  startling,  you  know, 
and  French  people  misjudge  you.  One  ought  to 
endeavour  to  be  a  credit  to  one's  friends,  as 
Annie  would  be  vexed  if  people  thought  you 
vulgar." 

Miss  Carroll  shrugged  her  shoulders,  a  favour- 


68  Eve  Triumphant 

ite  habit  of  hers  when  she  could  not  find  anything 
to  answer. 

The  Marchioness  d'Anguilhon  was  delighted 
that  Mrs.  Ronald  should  see  her  in  her  own 
home,  the  aristocratic  abode  to  which  her  des- 
tiny had  conducted  her  in  spite  of  wind  and 
tide,  and  of  which  she  was  in  reality  very  proud. 
She  knew  that  the  description  of  it  would  be 
sent  to  New  York  by  the  next  mail,  and  would, 
through  Helen,  be  sure  to  reach  that  select 
clique,  the  Colonial  Ladies.  She  took  the  ut- 
most pains  about  all  the  arrangements  for  her 
dinner,  well  aware  that  from  that  her  com- 
patriots would  not  fail  to  draw  their  conclu- 
sions about  many  other  things.  With  the  De 
Keradieus,  the  Prince  de  Nolles,  the  Viscount 
de  Nozay,  and  two  other  friends,  she  had  in- 
vited Marquis  Verga,  a  Roman  who  held  one 
of  the  highest  offices  at  the  Italian  Court,  and 
his  wife,  a  remarkably  pretty  American. 

This  dinner-party  of  only  twelve  guests  was 
one  of  those  exquisite  entertainments  which 
Annie  had  learnt  to  give.  Mrs.  Ronald  and 
Miss  Carroll  had  expected  more  splendour,  but 
they  were  both  too  much  accustomed  to  nice 
things  not  to  recognise  on  closer  examination 
the  great  luxury  which  there  was  under  the  ap- 
parent simplicity  of  the  table  appointments  and 
decorations.  The  Marchioness  had  confided  Dora 
to  the  care  of  the  Viscount  de  Nozay,  feeling 
sure  that  these  two  most  original  and  independ- 


As  Others  See  Us  69 

ent  characters  would  find  each  other  extremely 
entertaining. 

"  She  is  a  sample  of  the  up-to-date  society 
girl,"  she  had  told  him.  "  Do  not  misjudge  her, 
though,  for  she  is,  at  bottom,  very  comme  il 
faut." 

To  the  great  relief  of  Mrs.  Ronald,  and  to 
the  disappointment  of  the  Viscount,  Miss  Carroll 
did  not  talk  much,  for  she  was  too  much  occu- 
pied in  studying  her  host  and  hostess.     Belong- 
ing to  a  younger  set  of  girls  than  Annie,  she  had 
not  known  her  well;  but  as  their  mothers  were 
great  friends  she  had  frequently  heard  of  her. 
On  seeing  her  quiet  elegance,  her  dignified  man- 
ners, and  her  extreme  correctness  she  said  to 
herself  that  the  Marchioness  was  a  credit   to 
America.     The  master  of  the  house  interested 
her  still  more.     She  looked  at  him  as  long  as 
she  dared,  and  kept  glancing  at  him  continually. 
It  was  the  first  time  she  had  met  a  man  of 
ancient  lineage,  and,  strangely  enough,  she,  who 
was  so  ultra-modern,  experienced  the  fascination 
of  it  at  once.     The  Marquis,  with  his  refined 
type  of  face,  his  golden-brown  eyes  with  their 
far-away  look  in  them,  could  not  fail  to  mystify 
her.     He  was  nervous  and  singularly  preoccu- 
pied, so  that  his  wife  was  often  obliged  to  repeat 
two  or  three  times  the  same  question,  which  she 
did  with  a  charming  sweetness  of  manner;  and 
then,  on  coming  back  to  himself,  he  had  always 
an  affectionate  look  for  her,  and  a  few  charm- 


70  Eve  Triumphant 

ing  words  of  excuse  to  offer.  All  this  was  not 
lost  on  Dora,  by  any  means.  After  dinner,  Mrs. 
Ronald  took  Jacques  to  task. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  said,  "  that  people  have 
not  forgiven  you  yet  for  leaving  Newport  so 
soon.  Did  n't  you  like  it?  " 

"  To  speak  frankly — no,  I  did  not.  There  is 
too  much  luxury,  too  much  noise  and  show.  The 
Indians,  who  called  it  the  '  Isle  of  Peace,'  un- 
derstood it  better.  That  is  just  what  it  ought 
to  be — an  isle  of  peace.  Society  life  seemed  to 
me  out  of  place  there.  Those  mansions  and 
marble  palaces  without  any  open  space,  sur- 
rounded by  walls,  on  a  beach  which  is  as  crowded 
as  a  street,  appeared  to  me  utterly  meaningless. 
When  one  thinks  that  only  a  few  miles  away 
from  there  one  has  the  most  wonderful  scenery, 
shady  trees,  and  perfect  quiet— 

"  Perfect  quiet ! "  interrupted  the  Baron  de 
Keradieu.  "  You  forget  that  Americans  do  not 
need  that  yet." 

"  That 's  quite  true.  How  absurd  of  me !  " 
owned  Jacques,  with  good  grace. 

"  Is  not  Newport  something  like  Trouville?  " 
asked  the  Viscount  de  Nozay. 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  infinitely  more  brilliant,"  an- 
swered Henri  de  Keradieu.  "  It  is  the  great 
Vanity  Pair  of  the  United  States;  the  place  on 
our  planet  where  one  can  get  the  most  enjoy- 
ment out  of  life  in  the  way  of  worldly  pleasures 
and  flirtations." 


As  Others  See  Us  71 

"  And  where  one  sees  the  most  pretty  women," 
added  the  Marquis  Verga. 

"  I  quite  agree.  In  Europe,  Brighton  alone 
would  compare  with  it;  but  then,  too,  at  Brigh- 
ton there  are  crowds  of  people  who  are  poor  and 
badly  dressed,  while  at  Newport  everything  is 
luxurious;  there  is  no  dark  side  to  the  picture. 
Unless,"  added  Jacques,  "  it  be  the  sight  of  the 
workers  who  provide  everything,  and  whose  wan 
faces  are  painful  to  witness." 

"  That  is  so;  but  then,  who  thinks  about  that? 
For  my  part,  when  I  have  spent  a  fortnight  at 
Newport  I  feel  the  same  sort  of  weariness  as 
a  grown-up  person  who  has  had  to  endure  for 
too  long  a  time  the  noise  of  children  at  play. 
Last  summer  d'Anguilhon  and  I  were  thankful 
to  get  away  to  Canada,  which  seemed  as  deli- 
cious to  us  as  a  glass  of  Apollinaris  water  after 
a  too  generous  dinner." 

"  Canada  certainly  did  give  me  a  feeling  of 
restfulness  which  I  shall  never  forget,"  added 
the  Marquis.  "  Quebec,  with  its  big  roofs,  its 
convents,  and  its  churches,  seemed  to  me  like  a 
bit  of  our  old  provincial  France." 

"You  hear  that?"  said  Annie,  laughing. 
"Isn't  that  truly  French?  These  two  gentle- 
men take  a  seven-days'  sea-trip  for  the  sake  of 
seeing  something  fresh,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
month  they  begin  to  look  out  for  places  which 
resemble  their  own  country." 

"It  is  quite  true,"  confessed  Jacques;  "and 


72  Eve  Triumphant 

nothing  gave  me  so  much  pleasure  as  to  hear 
the  Norman  accent  amongst  Canadians.  I  was 
quite  touched  more  than  once  on  finding  how 
strong  their  love  of  France  is  still." 

"  One  day  we  had  a  delightful  surprise,"  said 
M.  de  Keradieu.  "  We  were  out  riding,  and 
were  some  distance  from  Quebec,  when  we  came 
to  the  iron  gateway  of  a  large  estate,  and  we 
both  uttered  an  exclamation  of  amazement  on 
seeing  inscribed,  in  huge  letters  on  the  pillars, 
the  name,  '  Milly ,  Lamartine's  home.'  Evi- 
dently some  woman  lived  there  who  loved  and 
understood  the  poet.  This  showed  us  how  far 
Canada  is  behind  the  France  of  to-day.  The 
former  is  still  no  farther  than  sentiment,  while 
the  latter  has  arrived  at  sensation.  Jacques 
and  I,  moved  by  the  same  thought,  lifted  our 
hats  to  the  unknown  woman,  and  to  the  mem- 
ory of  our  compatriot.  We  should  have  been 
laughed  at,  probably,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  but  you  see  we  are  French,"  said 
the  Baron,  with  a  smile  at  Annie. 

"  I  hope,  Monsieur  d'Anguilhon,"  observed 
Charley  Beauchamp,  "  that  you  did  not  admire 
Canada  only,  and  that  you  did  not  have  a  bad 
impression  of  America." 

"  A  bad  impression !  On  the  contrary,  my 
visit  to  the  United  States  helped  me  to  under- 
stand modern  life  better  than  all  the  books  I 
could  have  read.  If  I  was  not  always  charmed 
by  what  I  saw,  I  certainly  was  astonished. 


As  Others  See  Us  73 

Chicago,  amongst  other  things,  amazed  me;  the 
height  of  the  houses,  the  boldness  of  the  build- 
ings, gave  me  an  impression  of  greatness  and 
of  fragility  which  I  shall  never  forget,  and  I 
said  to  myself  over  and  over  again,  '  How 
beautiful  it  is,  and  yet  how  ugly ! ' 

"  Did  you  go  to  what  we  call  the '  Far  West '?  " 

"  Yes,  and  that  interested  me  more  than  any- 
thing else.  The  expenditure  of  force  and  energy 
which  I  met  with  there  roused  me  so  effectively 
that  I  was  tempted  to  try  my  muscles.  I  helped 
to  fell  trees  and  to  launch  rafts,  so  that  my 
hands  were  hard  and  rough  for  long  enough 
afterwards,  and  I  was  very  proud  of  my 
blisters." 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised,"  said  Annie,  "  if 
my  husband  were  to  take  a  ranch  somewhere. 
It  would  be  newer  than  a  racing  stable." 

"  And  more  wholesome,  too,"  added  Jacques. 
"  The  fortnight  De  Keradieu  and  I  passed  at 
the  house  of  a  friend  in  the  State  of  Nevada 
will  always  be  one  of  my  best  memories.  We 
lived  in  the  same  simple,  frugal  way  as  our  host, 
and  rode  miles  and  miles  in  pursuit  of  the  horses. 
At  night,  when  I  was  smoking  my  last  cigar  out 
in  the  open  air  in  the  bright  starlight  and  silence 
of  the  prairie,  society  life,  the  Bois,  and  the  club 
all  seemed  to  me  stupid  and  paltry.  In  that 
vast  expanse  of  pure  air,  laden,  as  it  were,  with 
the  sap  of  life,  one  feels  refreshed  both  physi- 
cally and  morally.  It  is  just  what  we  need, — we 


74  Eve  Triumphant 

poor,  ultra-refined  creatures.  For  my  part,  I 
shall  go  as  often  as  possible  to  renew  my 
strength  there." 

"  And  what  effect  did  our  Eastern  cities  have 
on  you?"  asked  Mr.  Beauchamp,  who,  like  most 
Americans,  was  curious  to  know  the  opinion  of 
Europeans. 

"  They  amazed  me.  Your  universities,  your 
colleges,  your  hospitals,  the  institutions  due  to 
private  initiative,  do  you  the  greatest  credit. 
There  is  no  doubt  about  it,  your  work  is  colossal." 

Mr.  Beauchamp's  face  beamed  with  satis- 
faction. 

"  There  are  very  few  foreigners  who  render 
us  this  justice." 

"  Because  they  make  the  mistake  of  expect- 
ing to  find  in  your  country  what  it  has  not  yet, 
instead  of  looking  at  what  there  is." 

"  Ah,  there  are  two  beautiful  things  in 
America !  "  added  the  Marquis  Verga — "  the  Bal- 
timore women  and  the  Kentucky  horses." 

"  Isn't  that  just  Italian !  "  said  his  wife. 

"  How  can  I  help  it,  my  dear?  It  is  no  good 
expecting  a  man  born  between  the  Vatican  and 
the  Quirinal  to  understand  a  country  as  upset- 
ting as  yours.  The  three  months  I  spent  there 
my  breath  was  taken  away  every  minute,  just 
as  it  is  in  your  terrible  lifts — those  lifts  which 
do  not  simply  take  you  up,  but  wrhich  carry  you 
off  bodily.  The  whole  of  the  time  I  felt  in  a 
constant  state  of  bewilderment,  and  it  always 


As  Others  See  Us  75 

seemed  as  though  people  were  treading  on  my 
toes." 

"  Well,  that 's  a  new  impression,  anyhow," 
said  Mr.  Beauchamp  good-naturedly. 

"  By  the  bye,  I  was  not  very  much  edified 
with  regard  to  your  political  customs.  They 
are  worse  than  ours,  and  that  is  saying  a  great 
deal." 

"  It  is  the  same  with  us  as  with  you — honest 
men  are,  unfortunately,  selfish,"  answered  Annie, 
with  her  usual  frank  way  of  speaking.  "  In- 
stead of  fighting  against  ambitious  intrigues  and 
unscrupulous  men,  they  leave  the  field  free  to 
them,  and  so  corruption  and  bribery  are  to  be 
found  everywhere." 

"  You  are  right,"  owned  Mr.  Beauchamp ; 
"  but  there !  it  is  perhaps  impossible  to  find 
among  people  who  have  made  their  way  and 
are  independent  the  motive  power  necessary  to 
give  impulse  to  the  affairs  of  a  great  country." 

"  Well,  it  is  a  pity,  then,"  said  Helen ; 
"  honesty  ought  to  be  a  propelling  force  more 
powerful  than  that  of  personal  ambition." 

"  Ah,  Mrs.  Konald,  you  ask  too  much  from 
human  nature,  more,  even,  than  a  merciful 
Providence  does,"  said  Jacques ;  "  it  is  incred- 
ible that  you  should  all  have  this  instinct  of 
coinbativeness." 

"A  propos,  Monsieur  d'Anguilhon,  what  do 
you  think  of  American  women,  on  the  whole? 
You  promised  to  tell  me." 


76  Eve  Triumphant 

"  They  seemed  to  me  admirably  suited  to  their 
country.  They  have  the  qualities  which  charac- 
terise it — youth  fulness,  daring,  vitality." 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  said  Charley  Beauchamp. 

"  Then,  too,  they  are  very  pretty,"  continued 
Jacques.  "  To  my  great  surprise,  I  found  again 
in  the  United  States  the  feminine  type  of  the 
eighteenth  century  which  has  disappeared  in 
Europe.  I  saw  many  faces  which  resembled 
those  painted  by  Latour  and  Greuze.  In  all 
sincerity,  I  have  never  met  so  many  beautiful 
women." 

"  Surely,"  observed  Dora,  with  her  sarcastic 
expression,  "  after  all  these  flattering  things,  we 
may  expect  a  modifying  *  but '  which  will  inter- 
est me." 

"  Well,  then,  mademoiselle,"  said  Jacques, 
with  his  significant  smile,  "  I  will  add,  '  but ' 
before  American  women  will  ever  have  the  charm 
and  finish  which  produces  harmony  they  will 
have  to  be  a  hundred  years  older." 

"  I  should  prefer  being  a  hundred  years 
younger,"  replied  Miss  Carroll. 

"You  are  quite  right;  youth  is  a  beautiful 
defect." 

"  If  that  is  the  only  one  with  which  you  have 
to  reproach  us,  we  will  not  complain,"  said  Mrs. 
Ronald ;  "  and  you,  Annie, — what  impression  did 
America  make  on  you  after  six  years'  absence?  " 

"  Do  not  imagine  it  is  affection  on  my  part 
if  I  confess  that  many  things  jarred  upon  me. 


As  Others  See  Us  77 

I  was  struck  with  the  nervousness  of  every  one. 
The  moral  standard  seemed  to  me  to  be  lower — 
considerably  lower.  In  my  time,  there  were  girls 
who  were  fast;  but  I  found  plenty  who  were — 
1  rapid,'  and  I  noticed  that  divorces  were  talked 
about  quite  as  much  as  marriages.  The  exces- 
sive noise  and  activity,  unaccustomed  as  I  now 
am  to  both,  tired  me  out.  The  houses  of  our 
millionaires  made  me  appreciate  certain  French 
homes,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  delight  that 
I  came  back  again  to  our  dear  old  Blonay.  I 
should  never  have  thought  it  possible " ;  and 
then,  with  a  pretty  little  air  of  wisdom,  she 
added :  "  I  believe,  after  all,  that  life  is  merely 
a  series  of  lessons,  and  I  have  already  learnt  a 
few.  .  .  .  Ah,  Monsieur  de  Limeray !  " 

At  that  name  Helen,  wrho  had  her  back  to 
the  door,  turned  quickly  round.  At  the  sight  of 
the  "  Prince  "  she  coloured  slightly,  and  glanced 
across  in  distress  at  her  brother  and  Dora. 

"  I  was  afraid  you  were  not  coming,"  said 
Annie  to  the  new  arrival.  "  It  would  have  been 
a  pity,  for  to-night  poker  will  be  a  serious  affair, 
—America  is  in  full  force." 

Thereupon  the  young  hostess  introduced  the 
Count  de  Limeray  to  her  guests.  On  meeting 
thus  at  the  house  of  a  friend  the  stranger  who 
had  roused  his  interest,  the  "  Prince "  looked 
both  surprised  and  pleased. 

"  I  little  imagined  the  good  fortune  which  was 
awaiting  me  to-night,"  he  said,  bowing  low  to 


78  Eve  Triumphant 

Helen,  "  but  I  had  hoped  for  it,  nevertheless. 
I  have  noticed  that  in  the  end  one  is  apt  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  people  one  frequently 
meets." 

"You  have  often  met  Mrs.  Ronald?"  said 
the  Marquise  very  much  astonished. 

"  Yes,  several  times.  Chance — is  it  chance, 
though? — has  led  us  to  dine  in  the  same  restau- 
rants. Only  yesterday  we  were  neighbours  at 
table  at  the  Cafe"  de  Paris." 

Helen's  embarrassment  increased  so  much  that 
it  was  noticeable. 

"Do  you  understand  English?"  suddenly 
asked  Miss  Carroll,  boldly  enough. 

"  Perfectly  well ;  my  mother  was  Irish.  I 
have  never  been  so  glad  to  understand  it  as 
yesterday  evening,"  said  the  Count,  with  a  some- 
what mocking  smile. 

Guy  de  Nozay,  one  of  those  terribly  short- 
sighted persons  whom  nothing  escapes,  noticed 
it,  and  guessed  that  the  young  girl  had  been 
guilty  of  some  indiscretion  in  her  remarks. 

"  I  hope  for  your  sake,  my  dear  friend,  that 
you  heard  only  agreeable  things,"  he  said  mali- 
ciously. "  It  is  rather  rare,  though,  when  people 
happen  to  overhear  things  not  intended  for 
them." 

"  I  heard  some  agreeable  things,  some  severe 
ones,  and,  above  all,  some  that  were  very  instruct- 
ive. I  learnt  that  one  can  guess  the  character 
of  an  individual,  and  even  the  menu  of  his  din- 


As  Others  See  Us  79 

ner,  merely  by  the  sight  of  his  back;  and  that 
Frenchmen's  moustaches  belong  to  another  epoch 
than  themselves,  which  fact  causes  them  to  look 
odd — like  living  anachronisms." 

"  Indeed !  I  would  wager  that  it  is  Miss 
Carroll  who  has  discovered  that,"  said  Guy  de 
Nozay,  with  a  gleam  of  mischief  behind  his 
eye-glass. 

"  Yes ;  you  are  quite  right,"  answered  Dora, 
who  never  allowed  herself  to  be  disconcerted 
for  a  trifle.  "  I  know  that  in  France  a  well- 
brought-up  girl  is  not  supposed  to  talk  about 
any  one's  back  or  moustache;  but  I  am  a 
foreigner,  and  as  I  am  allowed  to  say  what  I 
like,  I  take  advantage  of  that." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  M.  de  Limeray. 
"  I  am  not  complaining,  for  my  part.  Your 
original  remarks  amused  me  immensely." 

"  I  am  very  glad,"  replied  Dora  graciously. 

"  Is  it  in  the  American  boarding-schools  that 
you  are  taught  to  understand  the  expression  of 
the  back  and  the  moustache? "  asked  the  Vis- 
count, who  delighted  in  teasing. 

"  Oh,  no ;  they  never  teach  anything  there  as 
useful  as  that.  It  is  information  that  I  ac- 
quired entirely  alone — the  result  of  my  own 
observation." 

M.  de  Nozay  bowed  and  smiled.  He  felt  him- 
self somewhat  nonplussed.  He  was  taken  aback 
by  the  outspokenness  of  the  young  girl. 

"  You    have    a    friend,    Monsieur,"    said    the 


8o  Eve  Triumphant 

Count  de  Limeray,  addressing  himself  to  Charley 
Beauchamp,  "  who  thoroughly  understands  our 
country.  I  have  never  heard  so  true  an  esti- 
mate from  any  foreigner." 

"  Oh,  but  he  has  lived  in  Paris  for  three 
years ! " 

"  One  may  live  here  twenty  years — all  one's 
life  even — and  yet  not  understand  the  French 
mind  as  your  friend  appears  to  do." 

"  It  is  just  that  Willie  Grey  is  an  artist.  I 
should  not  be  surprised  if,  one  of  these  days, 
America  were  to  be  very  proud  of  his  talent. 
There  is  a  picture  of  his  now  in  the  Champs 
Elyse~es  Salon,  The  Meditation  of  Jesus,  which 
reveals  great  power.  If  I  had  room  I  should 
buy  it." 

"  I  will  go  and  see  it.  I  am  very  fond  of 
pictures  myself,  and  I  should  be  delighted  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Grey." 

"  I  could  take  you  to  his  studio  if  you  liked." 

"  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure." 

Annie  invited  her  guests  to  take  their  places 
at  the  card-table,  and  poker  commenced.  It  was 
a  most  animated  game,  thanks  to  the  Americans, 
who,  as  usual,  played  with  great  spirit.  When 
it  was  over,  the  Count  de  Limeray  had  a  long 
talk  with  Helen,  whose  great  beauty  and  refine- 
ment had  from  the  first  meeting  won  his  ad- 
miration and  sympathy. 

"  You  seem  to  be  enjoying  yourself  in  Paris?  " 
he  said. 


As  Others  See  Us  81 

"  Immensely ! " 

"  And  your  husband  is  in  America?  " 

"  Yes ;  unfortunately  he  could  not  accompany 
me." 

"  And  you  regret  that  very  much?  "  asked  the 
Count,  in  a  tone  which  revealed  the  impertinence 
of  a  doubt. 

To  her  great  annoyance,  Helen  felt  herself 
blushing. 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  she  answered,  looking  full 
at  her  interlocutor. 

"  Excuse  me ;  but,  like  all  Europeans,  I  can- 
not help  being  astonished  at  the  confidence  with 
which  American  husbands  allow  their  wives,  and 
often  very  pretty  wives,  too,  to  come  alone  to 
Paris." 

"  Oh,  they  know  that  we  are  to  be  trusted ! " 

"  And  that  you  have  n't  the  temperament," 
said  the  Marquis  Verga,  somewhat  brutally. 

"  But  I  should  hope  that  even  with  the  tem- 
perament, a  well-brought-up  woman  would  not 
fail  in  her  duty." 

"  And  you  think,  then,  that  education  would 
prove  a  safeguard  against  temptation?"  asked 
M.  de  Limeray. 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  Helen,  in  a 
positive  tone. 

The  Count  looked  at  her  with  an  expression 
of  curiosity  and  surprise,  mingled  with  the 
regret  that  he  could  not  put  her  to  the  proof. 

"  I  should  very  much  like  to  know  what  you 


82  Eve  Triumphant 

mean  by  temperament,"  said  Dora.  "  No  one 
has  been  able  to  explain  it  to  me,  and  even  the 
dictionary  has  not  helped  me  much." 

The  young  girl's  words  were  followed  by  one 
of  those  terrible  silences  which  awkward  and 
injudicious  remarks  usually  cause. 

"  Temperament  is  a  defect,  according  to  some 
people,  and  a  quality  according  to  others;  it  is 
a  very  dangerous  thing,  anyhow,"  answered  the 
Viscount  de  Nozay,  as  seriously  as  he  could 
speak,  "  and  it  is  impossible  to  explain  it  to 
young  girls." 

"  That  ?s  a  pity,  for  it  must  be  interesting," 
remarked  Miss  Carroll  carelessly ;  and  then,  sud- 
denly aware  of  what  she  had  said,  she  coloured 
slightly,  and  asked  some  question  on  another 
subject  altogether,  by  way  of  changing  the  topic 
of  conversation. 

Just  before  they  were  leaving,  the  Count  de 
Limeray  approached  Dora. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  fixing  on  her  his  sad 
eyes,  "  since  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
Madame  de  Keradieu  and  Madame  d'Anguilhon, 
I  have  learnt  that  the  truth  never  offends  an 
American ;  and  so  I  am  going  to  take  the  liberty 
of  telling  you  that  your  criticism  of  the  French 
aristocracy  yesterday  evening  was  both  severe 
and  unjust.  It  is  true  that  my  generation, 
rightly  or  wrongly,  has  held  itself  aloof,  but  our 
children  are  gradually  entering  again  into  the 
struggle,  and,  believe  me,  they  have  more  than 


As  Others  See  Us  83 

the  moustache  of  former  times, — they  have  also 
the  daring  and  the  heroism  which  give  to  it  the 
peculiar  bold  expression  which  you  have  noticed. 
My  eldest  son  went  out  to  Africa  and  sacrificed 
his  life  for  the  sake  of  an  idea,  that  of  helping 
France  and  getting  ahead  of  England  in  cer- 
tain matters.  I  do  not  doubt  that  others  will 
follow  his  example." 

Dora  was  overwhelmed  with  confusion,  and 
felt  strangely  small  by  the  side  of  this  old 
nobleman,  with  his  dignified  bearing. 

"  I  often  speak  without  thinking,"  she  said, 
overcoming  her  embarrassment  quickly,  "  but  I 
am  always  sorry  when  I  have  talked  nonsense 
and  hurt  any  one's  feelings,  as  I  did  yesterday." 

"  I  quite  believe  you,  and,  for  my  part,  I  am 
glad  to  have  had  an  opportunity  of  modifying 
your  opinions.  You  are  not  angry  with  me?  " 

"  On  the  contrary !  " 

The  Count  held  out  his  hand,  and  Miss  Carroll 
put  hers  into  it  with  a  spontaneousness  full  of 
apology  and  contrition. 

No  sooner  were  they  in  the  carriage  and  on 
the  way  to  the  Hotel  Continental,  than  Mrs. 
Ronald  asked  Dora  what  the  "  Prince  "  had  said 
to  her. 

The  young  girl  repeated  word  for  word  their 
conversation. 

"  Was  n't  I  unlucky !  "  she  added,  laughing. 
"  Monsieur  de  Limeray  is  perhaps  the  only 
Frenchman  of  that  age  in  the  Faubourg  who 


84  Eve  Triumphant 

understands  English,  and  he  must  just  be  our 
neighbour  at  table." 

"  What  a  delightful  evening ! "  said  Charley 
Beauchamp.  "  It  is  strange ;  but  I  had,  in  that 
society  and  in  that  old  house,  just  the  same  feel- 
ing of  restfulness  that  I  always  experience  at 
the  Louvre.  I  notice,  too,  in  the  eyes  of  these 
men  belonging  to  the  aristocracy  that  same  light 
which  one  sees  in  the  eyes  of  the  old  portraits. 
Oh,  no;  they  are  not  meant  for  the  costume  of 
our  times,  and  still  less  for  modern  life.  I  am 
not  surprised  that  Annie  fell  in  love  with  Mon- 
sieur d'Anguilhon,  for  he  has  perfectly  fascinated 
me." 

"  Yes,  he  is  very  curious — very  interesting," 
remarked  Miss  Carroll,  as  though  she  were  speak- 
ing of  some  trinket  or  rare  piece  of  furniture. 
"  I  should  never  feel  at  ease  with  him,  though. 
He  would  do  for  a  Sunday  husband,  but  for 
every  day  I  prefer  Jack;  and  if  I  were  his  wife, 
I  should  want  to  know  of  whom  he  was  think- 
ing whenever  he  was  absent-minded,  as  he  was 
to-night." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  PARIS  OP  THE  FOREIGNER 

«T  OISET'S,  Rue  Royale!" 

L  This  order,  given  to  the  coachman  by 
Mr.  Beauchamp  on  leaving  the  Renaissance 
Theatre,  represented  another  of  Eve's  victories 
over  Adam. 

Charley  had,  not  without  protesting  strongly, 
taken  his  sister  and  Miss  Carroll  to  the  Moulin- 
Rouge,  the  Olympia,  and.  to  all  the  noted 
cafe-concerts.  The  idea  that  they  did  not  un- 
derstand, any  more  than  he  did,  all  the  vulgarities 
which  were  uttered  at  these  extremely  up-to-date 
resorts  set  his  conscience  at  rest.  He  was 
frankly  astonished  that  they  should  care  to  hear 
things  in  Paris  to  which  they  would  never  have 
listened  in  New  York.  Several  times  they  had 
begged  him  to  take  them  to  the  noted  restaurant 
in  the  Rue  Royale,  which  is  open  all  night,  but 
he  had  always  found  some  pretext  for  refusing. 

At  Helen's  suggestion,  he  had,  on  the  evening 
in  question,  taken  a  box  at  the  Renaissance 
Theatre,  and  had  invited  the  Marquis  and  Mar- 
quise Verga,  and  Willie  Grey.  Just  before  the 
last  act,  the  three  ladies  had  declared  that  they 

85 


86  Eve  Triumphant 

wanted  to  go  to  Loiset's  for  supper.  It  was 
simply  a  plot  organised  among  themselves,  and 
there  was  nothing  left  but  to  yield  to  their 
whim,  as  they  were  most  persistent.  As  the 
carriages  drew  up  in  front  of  the  restaurant, 
two  gentlemen,  who  had  been  strolling  up  and 
down,  stopped  for  a  minute  to  exchange  a  few 
last  words,  and  Helen,  on  stepping  on  to  the 
footpath,  found  herself,  to  her  great  consterna- 
tion, face  to  face  with  the  "  Prince." 

The  latter,  on  recognising  Mme.  d'Anguilhon's 
friends,  took  leave  of  his  companion  at  once  and 
approached  them. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  Loiset's? "  he  said 
anxiously. 

"  Yes,  we  are,"  answered  the  Marquise. 

"  But  it 's  a  place  where  ladies  do  not  go." 

"  French  ladies — perhaps  not,"  said  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald, "  but  we  Americans  are  very  healthy-minded. 
We  can  safely  see  and  hear  everything.  There 
is  nothing  to  fear." 

"  Well,  but,  Helen,  if  it  is  impossible  for 
you  to  go  to  this  restaurant — "  began  Mr. 
Beauchamp. 

"  Impossible !  Why,  all  our  friends  have  been 
here  to  supper!  It  is  as  well  known  in  New 
York  as  the  Eiffel  Tower." 

"  Well,  anyhow,  I  have  never  been  inside,  and 
it  is  only  a  stone's  throw  from  my  club." 

"  Then  come  with  us  now  and  have  some  Welsh 
rarebit.  You  know  it  is  just  toasted  cheese  and 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         87 

bread,  a  regular  midnight  dish,  but  it  is  quite 
a  specialty  here." 

"  Agreed !  Let  us  go  and  try  the  Welsh  rare- 
bit," said  the  Count.  "  It  is  rather  amusing 
for  me,  an  old  Parisian,  to  be  taken  for  the 
first  time  to  Loiset's  by  American  ladies." 

One  of  the  waiters  advanced  to  meet  them, 
and,  on  seeing  that  they  were  foreigners,  took 
them  right  through  to  the  other  end  of  the 
restaurant  to  a  sort  of  platform  two  steps  higher 
than  the  rest  of  the  room,  and  with  a  railing 
in  front.  Below  this  platform  to  the  right  was 
the  Tzigane  band. 

"  You  will  see  everything  here,"  said  the 
waiter,  graciously  pointing  to  one  of  the  tables. 

These  words  struck  M.  de  Limeray  as  signifi- 
cant, and  he  wondered  what  they  might  mean. 

Mr.  Beauchamp  ordered  the  supper,  and  the 
three  ladies  at  once  looked  round  curiously. 
They  all  had  the  same  feeling  of  disappointment 
on  seeing  the  smallness  of  the  room  and  the 
ordinary-looking  decoration  of  the  celebrated 
restaurant. 

"  Not  up  to  much, — Loiset's,"  remarked  the 
Marquis  Verga. 

The  habitues  began  to  arrive.  Fast-looking 
men,  old  and  young,  accompanied  by  demi- 
mondaines — more  or  less  pretty  and  more  or 
less  elegant.  Presently  the  scene  began  to  get 
animated.  There  were  peals  of  laughter,  spark- 
ling eyes,  and  bursts  of  forced  gaiety.  The 


88  Eve  Triumphant 

atmosphere  reeked  with  a  mixed  odour  of  wine, 
various  dishes,  and  strong  perfumes,  and  began 
to  get  heavy  and  vitiated.  It  seemed  to  M.  de 
Limeray  as  though  an  ever-mounting  tide  of 
human  scum  were  advancing  towards  him,  and 
all,  looked  at  from  the  standpoint  of  his  sixty 
years  of  life,  appeared  to  him  hideous  and  loath- 
some. He  glanced  at  his  companions.  Charley 
Beauchamp  and  Willie  Grey  were  entertained 
with  the  sight  before  them,  and  did  not  seem 
to  be  troubled  by  it  in  the  least.  As  for  the 
ladies,  they  were  examining  the  toilettes  of  the 
demi-mondaines,  exchanging  remarks  in  a  low 
voice,  chattering  gaily,  and  evidently  delighted 
to  see  so  many  shocking  things.  In  the  midst 
of  these  surroundings,  the  air  laden,  as  it  were, 
with  sensuality,  they  remained  absolutely  un- 
affected by  it  all,  their  eyes  limpid  and  their 
expression  serene.  The  Marquis  Verga,  noticing 
M.  de  Limeray's  astonished  look,  leaned  over 
towards  him,  and  said  in  a  low  voice : 

"  You  see  them — not  a  vestige  of  tempera- 
ment." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  them." 

"  And  for  their  husbands,  too." 

Dora's  attention  had  been  drawn  to  an  old 
woman,  dressed  in  black,  with  a  fichu  of  Spanish 
lace  over  her  greyish  hair,  who  was  sleeping 
peacefully  in  a  corner  of  the  room  with  some 
baskets  of  flowers  near  her.  She  •  continued 
sleeping  a  few  minutes  longer,  until  the  voices 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         89 

became  louder  and  louder,  and  then  the  music 
struck  up.  She  at  once  began  to  sort  her  flowers 
in  a  slow,  weary  way,  and  to  arrange  them  in 
bunches. 

"  Look  what  a  charming  face  that  poor  woman 
has,"  said  Miss  Carroll.  "  I  am  sure  she  has  a 
history." 

The  "  Prince  "  turned  round. 

"  Why,  it  is  Isabelle !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  an  old 
friend  of  mine." 

The  flower-seller,  on  hearing  her  name  pro- 
nounced, raised  her  blue  eyes,  which  still  had 
a  certain  charm  and  beauty.  She  looked  at  the 
Count  an  instant,  and  then  her  whole  face  lighted 
up  with  recognition,  and  in  obedience  to  a  sign 
from  him  she  came  up  on  to  the  platform. 

"  How  's  this  that  I  find  you  here?  "  said  M. 
de  Limeray.  "  I  thought  you  were  living  on 
your  means  in  some  village  near  Paris!  " 

"  My  means !  Wherever  should  I  get  them 
from?  I  have  nothing  but  what  I  earn,  and  I 
am  working  now  to  bring  up  a  niece,  who  is 
studying  at  the  Conservatoire,  and  to  pay  the 
twenty  per  cent.  I  promised  to  my  creditors." 

"  Where  do  you  live?  " 

"  At  Sannois." 

"  And  you  pass  your  nights  in  this  awful 
place?  " 

"  Yes,  until  the  first  morning  train,  which 
takes  me  back  home." 

"  It 's  a  hard  life," 


90  Eve  Triumphant 

"  I  'd  rather  have  this  than  be  bedridden.  I 
must  live  in  Paris,  even  in  this  way,  and  I 
must  have  my  flowers.  I  could  not  exist  with- 
out them  both." 

"  Do  you  make  plenty  of  money?  " 

"  No.  In  the  old  days  when  young  men  had 
been  lucky  either  in  their  love  affairs  or  at  the 
gaming-table,  they  'd  give  me  a  twenty-franc 
piece  for  a  flower.  In  these  times  they  are 
stingy,  even  when  they  are  in  luck.  Oh,  they 
are  mean !  mean ! "  said  Isabelle,  with  an  ex- 
pression of  intense  contempt. 

The  Count  could  not  help  smiling. 

"  Ah,  well,  go  and  fetch  us  all  some  flowers 
now,"  he  said,  "  and  we  won't  be  mean.  You 
guessed  rightly,  Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  turning 
to  Dora,  "  that  good  woman  has  a  history. 
Under  the  Empire  she  was  the  flower-girl  spe- 
cially favoured  by  the  Jockey  Club,  and  all  the 
year  round  she  wore  the  colours  of  the  horse 
that  had  won  the  Grand  Prix.  She  was  pretty 
and  a  good  girl,  and  earned  any  amount  of 
money.  This  made  her  family  jealous,  and  her 
mother,  at  the  instigation  of  a  relative,  I  believe, 
accused  her  daughter  of  allowing  her  to  be  in 
want,  and  brought  an  action  against  her  which 
made  a  great  deal  of  stir.  The  Jockey  Club 
gave  her  up,  and  entirely  withdrew  its  favours. 
She  then  opened  a  flower  shop,  but  failed;  and 
since  then  I  had  lost  sight  of  her." 

Isabelle  now  came  back,  bringing  some  sprays 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         91 

of  roses  artistically  arranged,  which  she  pre- 
sented to  the  three  American  ladies;  and  then, 
approaching  M.  de  Limeray,  she  put  a  superb 
white  carnation  in  his  buttonhole. 

"  In  memory  of  the  old  days,"  she  said  quietly. 

The  Count  slipped  a  fifty-franc  note  into  her 
hand. 

"  I  will  come  in  now  and  then,  and  see  how 
you  are  getting  on,"  he  added  kindly. 

"  It  is  just  on  purpose,"  said  the  Marquise 
Verga,  looking  round  the  room,  "  there  is 
nothing  extraordinary  going  on  to-day.  The 
other  evening,  it  appears,  a  Russian  princess 
danced  on  the  tables." 

"  A  Russian  princess !  "  repeated  the  Count  de 
Limeray.  "  You  astonish  me !  " 

"  What  a  fine  thing  education  is!  "  said  Dora, 
with  the  most  comical  expression.  "  You  are 
thinking,  I  am  sure,  that  only  an  American  prin- 
cess would  be  capable  of  going  in  for  such  ex- 
ploits as  those.  But  out  of  politeness,  you  do 
not  say  so." 

"  Well,  you  are  mistaken,  Mademoiselle ;  my 
education  is  not  merely  a  superficial  one.  And 
when  in  the  society  of  American  ladies,  such  a 
thought  as  that  would  not  occur  to  me." 

"  There  I  am  again !  It  seems  that  I  am  fated 
to  be  always  in  the  wrong  about  you,"  owned 
the  young  girl  gaily. 

Just  at  this  moment  four  couples  entered 
noisily  and  took  their  seats  at  a  long  table  oppo- 


92  Eve  Triumphant 

site  the  platform  to  which  the  foreigners  had 
been  conducted.  An  enormous  lobster  was 
brought  to  them,  and  their  glasses  were  filled 
with  champagne.  Presently  they  began  to  raise 
their  voices  and  to  exchange  vulgar  remarks. 
The  music  of  the  Tziganes  was  getting  wilder 
and  wilder,  as  though  it  were  intended  to  act 
on  the  nerves  and  serve  as  an  accompaniment 
to  the  revelry.  One  of  the  women  held  her  glass 
up  to  the  lips  of  her  neighbour,  and  obliged 
him  to  swallow  the  contents.  Another  one  put 
her  arm  round  the  neck  of  the  individual  to 
her  left  and  rubbed  her  cheek  against  his.  The 
three  American  women  were  inwardly  rejoicing 
that  the  scene  was  getting  livelier.  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald put  on  a  pretty  air  of  severity,  and  writh  an 
instinctive  gesture  of  dignity  drew  herself  up, 
as  though  to  rise  above  such  coarseness  and 
vulgarity.  At  the  first  glance,  M.  de  Limeray 
had  guessed  to  what  category  those  elegantly 
dressed  men  belonged,  with  their  gardenias  in 
their  buttonholes,  and  those  faded  women, 
adorned  with  sham  jewellery.  After  a  few 
minutes'  observation  he  began  to  laugh. 

"Ah,  what  a  good  joke,  what  a  good  joke!" 
he  exclaimed.  "  These  people  are  acting  a 
comedy.  They  have  been  paid  to  behave  abom- 
inably and  to  make  a  sensation.  Your  Russian 
princess  was  paid,  Madame  Verga.  I  under- 
stand now  what  the  waiter  meant  with  his  '  You 
will  see  everything.' " 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         93 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  believe  you  are  right," 
said  Willie  Grey,  in  amazement. 

"  And  all  these  people,"  continued  the  Count, 
looking  all  round  the  platform,  "  English, 
Americans,  Dutch,  Norwegians, — there  are  even 
Norwegians, — will  go  away  from  here  convinced 
that  they  have  witnessed  a  scene  of  Parisian 
life — of  true  Parisian  life.  They  will  declare 
that  ours  is  the  most  immoral  city  in  the  world, 
that  there  are  restaurants  where  people  kiss 
each  other  in  public;  and  this  little  comedy  is 
enacted  for  their  special  benefit,  to  satisfy  the 
taste  for  which  we  give  them  credit.  Just  look! 
the  Parisians  who  are  here  do  not  trouble  them- 
selves about  that  table:  they  probably  know  the 
trick.  I  am  very  glad  that  I  came,  and  that 
I  have  been  able  to  enlighten  you,  at  any  rate !  " 

"  You  really  think,"  said  Helen,  with  a  dis- 
comfited look,  "  that  these  gentlemen " 

"  These  gentlemen,"  interrupted  the  Count, 
"  are  individuals  who  get  their  living  in  a  way 
which  cannot  be  spoken  of,  even.  Look  what  is 
going  on  now !  " 

One  of  the  women  had  evidently  fixed  her 
choice  on  a  young  Englishman,  with  a  clean- 
shaven face  and  serene  expression,  who  was 
smoking  his  cigar  and  drinking  beer  at  a  neigh- 
bouring table.  She  was  throwing  flowers  at  him, 
one  after  the  other,  from  a  basket  in  front  of  her. 

"  If  her  companion  were  paying  for  this  sup- 
per," said  M.  de  Limeray  to  Charley  Beauchamp, 


94  Eve  Triumphant 

"  he  would  not  put  up  with  this  provocation." 

"  Certainly  not !  You  are  quite  right  about 
it,  we  have  been  taken  in;  and  now  that  there 
is  no  doubt  about  it,  the  best  thing  we  can  do 
is  to  go." 

"  Oh,  let  us  wait  and  see  how  this  ends  with 
the  Englishman !  "  begged  the  Marquise  Verga. 

The  flowers  continued  to  be  showered  on  the 
young  foreigner;  some  of  them  hit  him  on  his 
head  and  others  right  in  the  face,  but  he  re- 
mained perfectly  unconcerned. 

He  picked  up,  one  after  another,  a  rose,  a 
pink,  or  a  geranium,  and  after  inhaling  their 
perfume  crushed  them  between  his  fingers;  his 
eyes  had  a  dreamy,  far-away  look  in  them,  and 
a  smile  played  over  his  lips — a  smile  in  which 
there  was  a  defiant  expression.  It  was  as  though 
he  had  laid  a  wager  with  himself  and  were  in- 
tent on  winning  it.  The  woman  who  had  chal- 
lenged him,  exasperated  at  his  indifference,  rose 
abruptly,  went  and  took  a  seat  by  him,  and  with 
her  elbow  on  the  table  began  to  talk  to  him. 
The  champagne  had  given  a  flush  to  her  face, 
and  she  was  pretty  enough  to  be  quite  bewitching. 

The  young  man  listened  to  her  without  moving 
a  muscle,  and  then,  after  glancing  at  her  for  an 
instant  with  eyes  as  cold  as  steel,  he  got  up 
from  the  table. 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  language,"  he  said 
very  calmly;  and  then,  leaving  her  there  in  the 
lurch,  he  moved  towards  the  door. 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         95 

Furious  with  anger,  and  thoroughly  humili- 
ated, the  girl  watched  him  with  a  fearful  ex- 
pression in  her  eyes.  She  looked  just  ready  to 
spring  upon  him. 

"Mufle!"  she  cried  at  last,  at  the  top  of  her 
voice. 

She  was  somewhat  relieved  by  this  invective 
and,  endeavouring  to  hide  under  a  wild  burst 
of  laughter  the  anger  caused  by  her  defeat,  she 
went  back  to  her  place. 

"  This  time  we  have  had  our  money's  worth," 
said  Willie  Grey,  laughing.  "  We  can  go  now, 
I  should  think." 

"  Have  you  been  sufficiently  edified,  Ladies?  " 
asked  the  Marquis  Verga. 

"  Yes,  yes ! "  answered  the  American  women. 

"  That 's  right !  " 

On  leaving  the  restaurant,  they  all  drew  a 
long  breath. 

"  What  a  good  thing  pure  air  is ! "  remarked 
Helen. 

"  And  pure  life,  too,"  added  Charley  Beau- 
champ,  in  a  tone  which  indicated  his  regret  at 
having  yielded  to  his  sister's  whim. 

The  Marquis  and  Marquise  Verga,  who  lived 
in  the  Champs  Elysees,  hailed  a  cab. 

"  Let  us  walk  back,"  proposed  Helen,  "  and 
as  slowly  as  possible,  it  is  such  a  divine  night !  " 

"  And  what  a  contrast  to  all  we  have  just 
left ! "  said  the  Count  de  Limeray,  stopping  in 
the  middle  of  the  Rue  Royale. 


96  Eve  Triumphant 

The  blue  vault  above  looked  infinitely  pure 
and  lofty.  The  sky  was  perfectly  clear  and 
cloudless,  and  under  the  soft  light  of  the  moon 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde  looked  strange,  weird, 
and  immense.  At  this  hour  of  the  night  it  was 
no  longer  a  Parisian  thoroughfare.  With  its 
obelisk  of  hieratic  lines,  the  white  road  over  the 
bridge  leading  to  a  palace  of  Grecian  architect- 
ure, the  wide  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elys6es 
disappearing  mysteriously  under  the  verdure, 
and  the  lonely  terraces  and  silent  gardens  of 
the  Tuileries,  it  resembled  the  agora  of  some 
dream-city  over  which  sleep  hovered,  and  which 
gave  a  delicious  sensation  of  peace,  immobility, 
and  rest. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  what  a  contrast ! "  said  Helen. 
"  Do  you  know,  that  what  we  call  evil  and  ugli- 
ness are  merely  the  shadows  which  are  necessary 
for  bringing  out  in  relief  all  that  is  good  and 
beautiful?  Without  those  shadows  we  should 
not  see  this,  perhaps." 

M.  de  Limeray  looked  with  surprise  at  this 
pretty  woman,  uttering  tranquilly  a  philosophic 
thought  of  such  weight. 

"  This  theory  of  yours  is  rather  bold." 

"  Yes,  shocking  even ;  but  this  idea  has  often, 
crossed  my  mind.  To-night  it  comes  back  to 
me  forcibly.  I  had  to  go  into  that  horrible 
restaurant  in  order  to  feel  the  beauty  of  this 
spring  night.  I  have  a  husband  who  is  both  a 
savant  and  a  philosopher.  He  likes  to  discuss 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         97 

things  with  me,  and  although  I  do  not  always 
listen  very  attentively,  many  of  his  words  fix 
themselves  in  my  brain,  I  do  not  know  how. 
This  gives  me  thoughts  and  ideas  which  come 
and  go  sometimes  in  the  midst  of  my  pleasures, 
and  even  when  I  am  occupied  about  dress.  It 
appears,  after  all,  that  I  am  not  as  frivolous 
as  I  look." 

"  Then  you  do  not  regret  having  gone  to  Loi- 
set's?  "  asked  the  "  Prince,"  who,  like  all  French- 
men of  a  certain  culture,  delighted  in  exploring 
the  feminine  mind. 

"  On  the  contrary ! " 

"  And  all  your  compatriots  are  curious  to  see 
such  places?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Ronald  honestly.  "  The 
majority  of  American  women  would  not  set  their 
foot  in  a  night  restaurant.  Society  women  of 
my  generation,  though,  are  all  curious  about 
such  things.  It  is  amusing  to  glance,  now  and 
then,  down  a  precipice,  when  one  is  sure  of  one's 
self." 

"  You  like  danger?  " 

"I  adore  it!" 

"  You  have  often  braved  it?  " 

"Yes,  often,"  answered  Helen,  smiling.  "Flirt- 
ing has  some  good  in  it;  you  see,  it  renders  us 
fireproof  in  the  end,  and  as  in  America  we  all 
practise  it  from  our  infancy  we  are  just  about 
incombustible.  As  for  me,  I  have  taken  a  sala- 
mander for  my  emblem.  I  have  had  it  painted 


98  Eve  Triumphant 

on  the  panels  of  my  dressing-room,  and  engraved 
on  my  seal.  Look  at  it,"  she  added,  pointing  to 
a  little  salamander  of  diamonds,  with  emerald 
eyes,  which  was  fastened  on  her  bodice,  and 
which  glittered  with  a  cold  and  cruel  light. 

"  Never  tell  that  to  a  young  European ;  you 
would  be  offering  him  a  terrible  temptation. 
You  make  me  regret  that  I  am  not  thirty  years 
younger." 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  fear  anything  or  any  one," 
answered  Mrs.  Ronald,  with  a  pretty,  defiant 
laugh. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  cannot  help  it,  but  I  do  not 
believe  in  your  insensibility." 

"  Why?  " 

"  I  could  not  explain  why — it  is  just  an  im- 
pression I  have;  and,  taking  the  liberty  of  an 
old  friend,  I  would  say:  Beware!  One  should 
not  tempt  Providence,  and  still  less  man;  the 
time  may  come  when  he  will  have  his  day  with 
you." 

Mrs.  Ronald  did  not  answer.  These  words 
gave  her  a  vague  feeling  of  uneasiness,  and  she 
changed  the  subject  abruptly.  Dora  was  walk- 
ing just  in  front,  chattering  gaily  to  Charley 
Beauchamp  and  Willie  Grey. 

"  Well,  have  you  enjoyed  yourself  this  even- 
ing at  Loiset's?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"  Immensely !  Then  I  have  these  lovely  roses," 
pointing  to  the  bouquet  which  Isabelle  had  made, 
"  and  this  pretty  fan,  which  is  quite  a  master- 


The  Paris  of  the  Foreigner         99 

piece.  I  have  seen  the  ex-flower-girl  of  the 
Jockey  Club  under  the  Empire,  and  heard  her 
history,  which  interested  me  very  much.  Lastly, 
I  have  witnessed  the  victory  of  Britannic  virtue 
over  Parisian  wickedness,  and  I  have  learned 
that  they  have  the  laugh  on  us  at  Loiset's.  I 
have  not  wasted  my  evening,  and  my  letters  to- 
morrow will  be  so  interesting  that  all  my  friends' 
mouths  will  water." 

Willie  Grey  could  not  help  smiling. 

"  Give  me  an  American  girl  for  getting  the 
most  out  of  every  one  and  everything." 

"Mufle!" 

"  Is  that  for  my  benefit? "  asked  the  young 
artist,  amazed. 

"No,  no!"  answered  Miss  Carroll,  laughing 
heartily.  "  I  am  only  practising  the  word  so 
that  I  shall  not  forget  it.  It  means  muff,  I 
suppose;  but  it  is  much  more  expressive  and 
much  funnier,  anyhow." 

As  the  young  girl  finished  speaking,  they  had 
all  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  H6tel  Continental. 
Every  one  shook  hands  and  took  leave  of  one 
another.  When  in  the  lift,  to  the  utter  amaze- 
ment of  the  boy,  Dora  moved  a  step  forward, 
and,  pursing  up  her  lips  and  jerking  her  head 
in  a  comical  way,  suddenly  exclaimed : 

"  Mufle!  mufle!  Oh,  no,"  she  added,  "  my 
evening  certainly  has  not  been  wasted! " 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  CROSSING  OP  TWO  LIVES 

"  A  A  f  HAT  is  the  programme  for  this  after- 

VV  noon?"  asked  Charley  Beauchamp,  at 
luncheon,  about  a  fortnight  later. 

"  Well,"  answered  Helen,  "  we  must  call  on 
Annie,  as  she  is  leaving  Paris  the  day  after  to- 
morrow. You  must  come,  too.  I  have  ordered 
the  carriage  for  half -past  four.  You  are  free 
until  then." 

"All  right!" 

"  I  am  sure  that  Madame  d'Anguilhon  would 
have  invited  us  to  Blonay  if  she  were  well,"  said 
Dora. 

"  Probably." 

"  It  would  have  been  more  fun  than  our  jour- 
ney to  Holland.  I  would  give  anything  to  see 
one  of  our  countrywomen  acting  hostess  in  her 
chateau." 

"  Annie  must  be  charming  in  that  rdle,  be- 
cause she  is  so  simple  and  natural,"  answered 
Aunt  Sophie.  "  I  think,  too,  that  she  is  much 
nicer  now  than  when  she  was  a  girl." 

"  That  is  my  impression,  also,"  said  Mr.  Beau- 
champ.  "  She  has  acquired  a  certain  finish  in 

100 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       101 

these  French  surroundings ;  and  in  spite  of  that, 
she  is  still  very  American,  which  proves  that 
we  have  a  strong  individuality." 

"  Oh,  the  surroundings  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  change  for  the  better  in  Annie!  It  is 
time  which  has  done  it.  She  belonged  to  a  class 
whose  moral  standard  and  education  are  quite 
as  high  as  that  into  which  she  has  entered,"  re- 
marked Miss  Beauchamp,  with  asperity. 

"Agreed,  my  dear  Aunt;  but  Europe,  with 
its  different  customs,  conjugal  submission,  and 
the  dependence  which  it  imposes  on  women, 
acts  visibly  upon  our  compatriots,  and  gives 
them  a  gentler  and  more  sympathetic  look. 
What  mistaken  ideas  we  have  about  the  society 
of  the  Old  World!  We  come  and  visit  the 
museums  and  public  buildings  of  a  country,  but 
we  neither  study  the  mind  nor  the  character  of 
its  inhabitants.  How  stupid  it  is!  " 

"  Yes,  but  civilised  people  do  not  live  in  tents, 
and  we  cannot  interview  them  as  though  they 
were  Red  Indians,"  said  Miss  Carroll.  "  If  we  had 
no  friends  who  had  married  into  the  Faubourg 
St.  Germain,  we  should  only  have  seen  the  out- 
side of  the  d'Anguilhons'  home,  and  should  never 
have  known  how  the  owners  of  it  lived,  or  even 
how  they  dined." 

"  Besides,  the  French,  who  appear  to  be  so 
easy  to  know,  are  very  exclusive,"  added  Helen. 
"  They  do  not  open  their  doors  to  people  of 
another  country." 


IO2  Eve  Triumphant 

"  They  make  a  mistake,  for  they  improve  on 
acquaintance,"  said  Charley. 

"  It  would  improve  them  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  foreigners,  anyhow,"  declared  Aunt 
Sophie  peremptorily. 

She  was  one  of  those  Americans  who  honestly 
believe  that  all  morality  and  enlightenment  come 
from  their  country. 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Mr.  Beauchamp,  with 
a  sly  wink.  "  I  do  not  doubt,  for  instance,  but 
that  my  example  and  my  way  of  looking  at  things 
will  have  a  salutary  influence  on  Messrs,  de 
K£radieu,  d'Anguilhon,  and  de  Limeray.  For 
my  part,  after  what  I  have  seen  and  heard,  I 
am  not  sure  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  will  ever 
rule  the  world.  It  is  a  race  which  is  destined 
to  do  the  rough  work  of  civilisation,  but  as  to 
the  rest, — the  crowning  work, — the  Latin  race 
was  meant  to  do  that." 

"  It  is  evident  that  Willie  Grey  has  converted 
you,"  said  Dora. 

"  You  will  give  me  credit  for  being  able  to 
form  my  own  opinions,  I  hope?  I  have  never, 
for  instance,  understood  so  thoroughly  the  dif- 
ference between  the  Latin  temperament  and  the 
Saxon  temperament  as  the  other  evening  at  the 
Odeon  on  hearing  V  Arlesienne.  I  saw  men  there 
moved  to  tears;  and  not  only  did  the  piece  fail 
to  affect  me,  but  it  seemed  to  me  false,  extrava- 
gant, absurd." 

"  I  think  Frenchmen  are  decidedly  amusing," 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       103 

said  Miss  Carroll.  "  They  are  so  inquisitive, 
and  they  are  famous  women-interviewers.  They 
want  to  know  what  you  think,  what  you  feel, 
and  a  hundred  things  about  which  an  American 
would  never  trouble.  They  literally  take  us  to 
pieces  just  to  see  how  that  little  thing  is  made 
which  we  have  on  our  left  side.  That  abominable 
Viscount  de  Nozay,  for  instance,  turned  me 
inside  out  like  a  glove." 

"  Well,  then,  Jack  can  be  easy  in  his  mind, 
for  if  he  knows  you  inside  out  he  will  never 
want  to  marry  you,"  remarked  Mr.  Beauchamp, 
with  a  smile  which  mitigated  his  teasing. 

Dora  threw  her  serviette  at  his  head. 

"  It 's  very  bad  of  you,  Charley,  to  say  that, 
for  I  am  really  better  inside  than  outside." 

"  Are  you  going  out  at  once?  "  Mrs.  Carroll 
asked  her  daughter. 

"  No ;  I  am  expecting  one  of  the  girls  from 
Virot's  with  some  hats." 

"  More  hats ! " 

"  Yes,  I  saw  such  pretty  ones  this  morning 
that  I  could  not  resist.  It  quite  disgusts  me  to 
have  so  many  things,  yet  I  go  on  buying  all  the 
time.  In  Europe  it  is  want  that  causes  suicide ; 
with  us,  it  will  soon  be  satiety  that  will  cause  it." 

"  Don't  say  such  silly  things,"  observed  Miss 
Beauchamp,  looking  annoyed. 

Helen  rose  from  the  table  and  went  to  the 
glass.  She  was  wearing  a  walking  costume,  and 
had  kept  her  hat  on  for  luncheon.  She  dis- 


IO4  Eve  Triumphant 

covered  that  it  was  one  of  the  days  when  she 
looked  her  best,  and  she  smiled  to  her  reflection 
in  the  glass  by  way  of  congratulation. 

"  An  idea  has  just  come  to  me,"  she  said,  tak- 
ing one  of  her  little  side-combs  and  running  it 
through  her  beautiful  glossy  hair,  which  was 
turned  up  from  the  back  of  her  neck.  "  I  will 
go  and  see  Mrs.  Kevins.  She  is  never  there  after 
three  o'clock,  and  she  promised  me  some  ad- 
dresses of  hotels  in  Holland." 

"  Ask  her  to  give  you  all  the  information  she 
can  while  she  is  about  it,"  advised  Mr.  Beau- 
champ.  "  That  will  make  the  journey  easier. 
I  will  come  down  and  see  you  into  a  carriage." 

"  There 's  no  need ;  I  will  walk.  It  is  not  too 
hot,  and  I  need  a  little  exercise."  At  the  very 
moment  when  Mrs.  Ronald  was  inspired  to  pay 
this  visit,  a  young  Eoman,  Count  Sant'  Anna, 
who  had  just  been  lunching  with  a  friend  at 
Voisin's,  remembered  an  appointment  he  had 
made  the  day  before. 

"  Per  Bacco! "  he  exclaimed,  looking  at  his 
watch,  "  half-past  one  already !  I  shall  have  to 
leave  you,"  he  added  to  his  friend,  "  for  I  have 
an  appointment  in  the  Avenue  d'Antin  with 
Binder.  He  is  to  show  me  a  new  style  of 
phaeton." 

Helen  was  only  a  few  yards  from  the  Hdtel 
Continental  when  the  Italian  started  out  of  the 
restaurant,  smoking  his  cigar,  and  both  of  them, 
without  being  aware  of  it,  were  obeying  the 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       105 

Supreme  Will  which  had  fixed  their  meeting 
for  that  day  and  for  that  hour.  Count  Sant' 
Anna  went  down  the  Rue  Cambon  and  turned 
the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli.  The  fine  weather 
tempted  him,  too,  to  walk.  Suddenly  he  caught 
sight  of  Mrs.  Ronald,  and  could  not  take  his 
eyes  off  her  again.  Her  costume  was  of  light 
beige  cloth,  the  jacket  quite  short,  and  the  skirt, 
which  fitted  closely  at  the  top,  outlining  her 
graceful  figure.  Her  round  hat,  turned  up  at 
the  back  with  pale  pink  roses,  showed  her  fair, 
wavy  hair,  the  colour  of  which  was  so  wonderful 
that  it  looked  artificial. 

"  A  demi-mondaine,  undoubtedly,"  thought  the 
Italian ;  and,  quite  deceived  by  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  Mrs.  Ronald,  he  walked  a  little 
faster,  overtook  her,  and  then,  turning  round, 
stared  at  her  unceremoniously. 

"  No,  a  foreigner,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  but 
deucedly  pretty ! " 

Whereupon  he  at  once  slowed  up  in  order  to 
follow  her. 

The  American  woman  is  more  feminine  in 
Europe  than  she  is  at  home.  It  may  be  that 
the  atmosphere  and  surroundings  develop  her 
feminity,  or  perhaps  it  is  that  she  is  more  ven- 
turesome. However  that  may  be,  in  Paris  she 
likes  to  attract  attention  and  admiration  in  the 
street.  It  is  a  pleasure  which  she  does  not  get 
in  her  own  country  and  which  she  values  all 
the  more  accordingly.  Whenever  a  French- 


106  Eve  Triumphant 

woman  is  followed  persistently  it  always  troubles 
her;  she  is  annoyed  about  it,  and  reproaches 
herself  as  though  she  were  to  blame.  An  Ameri- 
can woman  is  not  disturbed  by  such  trifles.  It 
often  happens  that  some  idler,  attracted  by  her 
beauty  or  deceived  by  her  coquettish  manner, 
mistakes  her  for  a  foreigner  on  the  lookout  for 
adventures,  and  follows  her  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing.  Far  from  being  alarmed  at  this  imper- 
tinence, she  is  flattered  by  it,  and  most  im- 
prudently slackens  her  pace  and  stops  to  look 
at  the  shop  windows.  When  the  "  follower," 
imagining  that  he  is  being  encouraged,  speaks 
to  her,  she  gives  him  a  withering  look,  and  re- 
pulses him  with  an  expression  of  such  freezing 
propriety  that  he  retires  more  or  less  abashed. 
She  returns  home  delighted  at  having  humili- 
ated an  individual  of  the  stronger  sex,  and  con- 
scious of  no  other  feeling  than  that  of  satisfied 
self-respect. 

Mrs.  Ronald  often  had  little  adventures  of 
this  kind  when  out  walking.  They  always  gave 
her  pleasure,  although  she  complained,  with 
pretended  indignation,  like  all  her  country- 
women, that  it  was  impossible  to  go  out-doors 
without  being  followed  in  this  wicked  Paris,  as 
it  is  generally  called  in  England  and  America. 
It  would  have  been  very  difficult  to  persuade 
Helen  that  the  fault  was  her  own  and  that  of 
her  dresses,  which  were  too  elegant  for  the  street. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  French  are  more  re- 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       107 

spectful  than  any  other  men  towards  women 
whom  they  judge  to  be  comme  il  faut. 

This  afternoon,  Mrs.  Ronald  was  quickly 
aware  that  she  had  made  a  conquest.  The 
stranger  who  had  turned  round  and  looked  at 
her  so  boldly  was  following  her.  She  soon  saw 
that,  and  it  both  amused  her  and  flattered  her 
vanity,  for  she  had  time  to  observe  that  he  was 
handsome  and  distinguished-looking.  Under  the 
magnetic  influence  of  the  admiration  and  the 
desire  she  had  excited,  she  felt  glad  to  be  alive 
and  to  be  beautiful;  her  step  was  more  elastic, 
and  she  herself  more  animated.  After  crossing 
the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  she  took  the  Avenue 
Gabriel,  and  both  of  them,  guided  by  the  In- 
visible, continued  their  way  for  some  minutes 
almost  alone  in  the  shady  avenue,  the  atmos- 
phere laden  with  the  scent  from  the  flowers  and 
trees. 

The  Italian  felt  an  increasing  pleasure  in  fol- 
lowing this  pretty  woman.  He  began  to  notice 
her  more  closely,  like  a  true  connoisseur.  He 
then  walked  faster,  until  Helen,  perceiving  that 
he  was  gaining  on  her,  became  frightened,  and, 
turning  abruptly  to  the  left,  entered  the  less 
shady  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elyse~es.  The  young 
man  understood  at  once  that  the  fair  unknown 
was  not  merely  taking  a  walk,  but  that  she  was 
either  going  to  call  on  some  one  or  she  was  on 
her  way  home.  He  wanted  to  accompany  her  to 
the  end  of  her  journey  and,  hypnotised  by  the 


io8  Eve  Triumphant 

brightness  of  her  hair  and  the  pretty  outline  of 
her  figure,  he  passed  by  the  Avenue  d'Antin, 
forgetting  both  carriage-builder  and  phaeton. 

Mrs.  Kevins  lived  quite  near  the  Arc  de 
Triomphe.  On  arriving  at  the  last  house  but 
one  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  the  entrance  to  which 
is  in  the  Rue  de  Tilsitt,  Helen  passed  through 
the  carriage  gateway.  Sant'  Anna  stood  still  a 
moment  on  the  footpath,  wondering  whether  she 
lived  there.  At  last,  yielding  to  an  irresistible 
curiosity,  he  entered,  in  his  turn,  and  asked  the 
concierge  whether  the  lady  who  had  just  gone 
up-stairs  lived  there.  The  good  woman  looked 
at  him  somewhat  distrustfully  at  first,  then,  see- 
ing he  was  unmistakably  a  gentleman,  she  replied 
that  the  lady  was  only  a  visitor. 

The  suite  of  rooms  occupied  by  Mrs.  Kevins 
was  on  the  first  floor,  and  the  drawing-room  had 
two  corner  windows,  so  that  Helen  was  able  to 
see  her  admirer  acting  as  sentinel.  This  did  not 
fail  to  make  her  somewhat  nervous  and  absent- 
minded,  so  that  she  did  not  hear  half  the  par- 
ticulars which  her  friend  gave  her  concerning 
Belgium  and  Holland.  When  her  visit  was  over, 
Mrs.  Ronald  felt  a  certain  amount  of  excitement 
as  she  descended  the  stairs.  In  order  to  avoid 
the  troublesome  young  man,  she  asked  the  con- 
cierge to  call  a  cab  for  her,  and  remained  herself 
out  of  sight  in  the  doorway.  When  the  cab  drew 
up,  she  stepped  in  quickly,  telling  the  man  to 
drive  to  the  Avenue  Friedland.  The  young  man, 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       109 

who  was  strolling  up  and  down,  caught  sight 
of  the  cab  as  it  was  hurrying  away  in  that  direc- 
tion. He  guessed  that  it  was  bearing  away  his 
fair  unknown,  and  that  he  had  been  duped.  He 
lifted  his  arm  with  a  gesture  of  vexation,  and 
gave  that  inimitable  jerk  of  the  head  and  shrug 
of  the  shoulders  with  which  the  Italian  accepts 
his  defeats  and  expresses  his  helplessness. 

"  I  shall  meet  her  again,"  he  said ;  "  a  pretty 
woman  never  disappears." 

According  to  his  wishes,  he  met  Helen  face  to 
face  two  days  later  in  the  Rue  de  la  Paix.  She 
seemed  to  him  more  charming  still,  and  her  won- 
derful blondeur  had  the  same  effect  on  his  brain 
as  a  sunstroke.  He  gazed  at  her  with  eyes  full 
of  admiration,  but  she  appeared  not  to  have  seen 
him.  When  he  had  gone  a  few  yards  in  the 
opposite  direction,  he  turned  round  and  began 
to  follow  her  again.  She  felt  this  in  a  mag- 
netic way,  and  was  flattered  at  this  fresh  proof 
of  his  admiration.  Without  hurrying,  she  con- 
tinued her  walk,  took  the  Boulevard  des  Capu- 
cines,  and  turned  down  the  Eue  Royale.  She 
had  intended  going  straight  back  to  her  hotel, 
but,  seeing  that  the  stranger  kept  up  with  her, 
she  hailed  a  cab  and  told  the  driver  to  take  her 
to  the  Louvre  shops.  When  once  there,  she 
knew  that,  by  one  door  or  another,  she  could 
manage  to  elude  the  young  man.  Sant'  Anna, 
who  also  knew  the  treachery  of  those  countless 
doors,  did  not  give  her  this  satisfaction.  He 


no  Eve  Triumphant 

made  up  his  mind  now  to  meet  her  again,  and 
the  next  two  days  he  strolled  up  and  down  the 
Rue  de  Castiglione  and  the  Eue  de  la  Paix,  but 
without  any  result.  He  had  guessed  that  she  was 
an  American,  and  that  she  was  probably  staying 
at  one  of  the  hotels  in  that  neighbourhood. 

Like  most  of  his  countrymen,  Sant'  Anna  was 
a  great  woman-hunter,  and  delighted  in  love 
adventures.  This  kind  of  sport  provided  him 
with  the  sort  of  excitement  in  which  he  revelled. 
He  put  all  his  energy  into  it,  all  the  artifice  and 
puerile  superstitions  natural  to  his  race. 

He  never  reckoned  the  cost  when  once  his  in- 
terest had  been  roused  by  a  pretty  face  or  a 
graceful  figure,  but  whenever  it  happened,  as, 
indeed,  was  rarely  the  case,  that  his  advances 
were  repulsed,  he  accepted  the  failure  philo- 
sophically. Whether  it  be  that  with  the  Italian 
there  is  less  combativeness,  or  that  his  extremely 
refined  nature  makes  him  realise  more  the  in- 
evitable in  life,  he  gives  in  without  resistance, 
with  as  much  resignation  as  the  Oriental,  but 
with  more  intelligence. 

"  E  la  fatalita!  E  il  destino! "  ("  It  is  fatal- 
ity!  It  is  destiny !  ")  These  words,  which  come 
instinctively  to  his  lips,  console  him  easily  and 
take  away  all  remorse  and  all  regret.  Very 
superstitious,  the  young  man  said  to  himself 
that  the  American  woman  had  made  too  deep 
an  impression  on  him  for  her  not  to  be  destined 
to  play  a  part  in  his  life.  He  little  guessed  what 


The  Crossing  of  Two  Lives       in 

part  she  was  to  play !  He  therefore  set  himself 
to  look  out  for  her  everywhere,  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourth  day  he  suddenly  saw  her  in 
front  of  him,  crossing  the  Place  Venddme.  He 
felt  his  head  swim  round  and  his  heart  begin 
to  beat  faster.  His  first  idea  was  to  hurry  on, 
but,  determined  to  find  out  where  she  lived,  he 
decided  to  follow  her  at  some  distance,  and  was 
rewarded  by  seeing  her  enter  the  Hotel  Con- 
tinental. That  was  quite  enough,  and  he  con- 
tinued his  way,  thoroughly  satisfied  at  having 
attained  his  end. 

That  very  evening,  as  Mrs.  Ronald  and  her 
brother  were  taking  coffee  in  the  hall  of  the 
Hdtel  Continental,  she  saw  her  admirer  arrive. 
This  unexpected  apparition  caused  her  some  un- 
easiness. She  did  not  doubt  for  an  instant  that 
he  had  come  on  her  account.  He  had  unearthed 
her,  then!  It  was  very  clever  of  him,  and  her 
vanity  exulted  and  made  her  suddenly  joyful 
and  gay.  Her  eyes  shone  more  brightly  than 
ever,  and  she  began  to  talk  fast  and  volubly. 
The  Count  had  taken  a  seat  at  the  next  table  to 
hers,  and  although  several  times  she  felt  the  at- 
traction of  his  persistent  gaze,  she  braved  it  with 
the  most  perfect  expression  of  indifference. 
While  talking,  she  said  to  herself  that  he  was 
certainly  either  an  Italian  or  a  Spaniard.  At 
the  first  glance,  she  had  observed  his  pale  com- 
plexion and  his  regular  features;  on  looking 
again,  she  noticed  his  well-built  figure,  and  all 


ii2  Eve  Triumphant 

the  outward  signs  which  reveal  a  gentleman. 
Decidedly  this  conquest  did  her  honour.  The 
idea  struck  her  that  he  would  be  sure  to  take 
Charley  for  her  husband;  and  immediately,  with 
the  instinctive  and  petty  cruelty  of  a  woman, 
she  wanted  to  tantalise  him,  and  so  began  talk- 
ing to  her  brother  in  an  affectionate  way.  She 
allowed  him  to  admire  her  for  another  quarter 
of  an  hour  or  so,  laughing  to  herself  at  the 
thought  that  she  was  leaving  Paris  the  follow- 
ing day,  and  picturing  to  herself  his  discom- 
posure when  he  heard  of  her  departure.  After 
imagining  this  cheerful  scene,  she  rose  and 
walked  back  along  the  hall  to  take  the  lift.  Just 
as  she  was  passing  the  stranger  in  a  proud,  dig- 
nified way,  M.  de  Limeray's  words  came  back, 
strangely  enough,  to  her  mind,  and  her  lips  took 
a  pretty  curve  of  defiance  and  disdain. 

"  It  will  not  be  this  time,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  that  man  will  have  his  day  with  me." 


CHAPTER  VII 

FEMININE   DIPLOMACY 

THE  following  day,  Helen,  with  her  brother 
and  aunt,  and  Dora,  with  her  mother,  left 
Paris. 

The  journey  to  Belgium  and  Holland  fasci- 
nated Mr.  Beauchamp  beyond  everything.  His 
friend,  Willie  Grey,  joined  him  at  Brussels,  and 
accompanied  him  from  one  museum  to  another. 
These  treasures  of  Europe,  treasures  which  have 
required  such  long  years  of  patient  effort  and 
research  to  collect,  impressed  him,  as  they  do 
many  of  his  countrymen,  with  that  sense  of  rest- 
fulness  and  idealism  which  alone  can  soothe  the 
fevered  brain  of  men  accustomed  to  the  rush  of 
business  life. 

Helen  and  Dora  had  never  been  to  Belgium 
and  the  Netherlands.  It  was  a  new  page  of  the 
Old  World,  which  they  read  with  great  curi- 
osity, and  which  charmed  them  with  its  strange- 
ness. The  little  towns  fading  away  in  silence 
and  prayer,  the  antiquity  of  which  is  so  poetic, 
plunged  them  into  a  sort  of  awe.  The  sight  of 
all  the  heavy-looking,  quaint  costumes,  the  placid 
faces,  and  the  slow,  solemn  mode  of  life  amused 
8  113 


ii4  Eve  Triumphant 

and  interested  them  all  the  time.  In  spite  of 
this,  Mrs.  Konald  was  anxious  to  start  for 
Switzerland,  in  order  to  join  the  Marquis  Verga 
and  his  wife.  Considering  her  exclusive  char- 
acter, she  had  made  friends  very  quickly  with 
this  compatriot  whom  she  had  met  at  the 
Marquise  d'Anguilhon's. 

Madame  Verga  belonged  to  a  very  good  family 
of  Washington.  As  a  girl  she  had  been  much 
in  the  cosmopolitan  set,  and  it  was  in  this  way 
that  she  had  met  her  husband,  a  military  attache 
to  the  Italian  Embassy. 

She  had  a  pretty,  doll-like  face,  which  was 
lighted  up  with  blue  eyes  sparkling  with  merri- 
ment and  good  nature.  She  was  more  brilliant 
than  intelligent,  and  was  childishly  proud  of 
being  a  Marquise  and  of  her  position  in  the  best 
society  of  Eome.  Her  good-natured  disposition 
and  straightforwardness  had  won  for  her  a  large 
number  of  friends,  so  that  her  salon  was  one  of 
the  most  frequented,  which  fact  gave  her  much 
gratification.  Her  easy-going,  honest  nature  pre- 
vented her  seeing  half  the  intrigues  which  went 
on  under  her  very  eyes.  She  liked  the  Italians, 
she  always  said,  because  they  are  naturally 
silent,  and  that  gave  her  the  opportunity  of 
talking  as  much  as  she  wished.  The  Marquis 
had  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  least 
faithful  of  husbands.  Some  people  believed  that 
his  wife  was  ignorant  of  this,  and  others,  that 
she  merely  shut  her  eyes  to  the  fact.  However 


Feminine  Diplomacy  115 

that  might  be,  she  always  declared  herself  to 
be  the  happiest  of  women. 

Madame  Verga  had  often  talked  to  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald and  Dora  of  the  society  in  which  she  moved. 
She  had  advised  them  to  spend  the  winter  in 
Rome,  promising  to  see  that  they  had  a  good 
time,  tempting  them  with  all  the  pleasures 
imaginable,  and  offering  to  introduce  them  to 
various  aristocratic  families. 

Influenced  by  this  repeated  suggestion,  Helen 
had  begun  to  wonder  whether  she  could  not  per- 
suade her  husband  to  come  to  Europe  and  spend 
a  few  months  there.  An  idea  well  worthy  of 
Eve  the  First  came  to  her  mind.  Mr.  Ronald, 
whose  favourite  study  was  toxicology,  had  often 
expressed  his  regret  at  not  having  discovered 
the  secret  of  the  Borgia  poison.  She  would  en- 
deavour to  rouse  his  curiosity  again  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  would  give  him  to  understand  that 
through  the  Marquis  Verga  and  his  friends  he 
would  be  enabled  to  search  the  most  secret 
archives  of  the  Vatican,  and  surely,  she  thought, 
he  would  never  be  able  to  resist  that! 

Miss  Carroll's  imagination,  too,  had  been  fired 
by  the  perspective  of  a  season  in  Rome,  and  the 
famous  fox-hunts  which  Madame  Verga  had  de- 
scribed to  her.  Then,  too,  the  thought  of  going 
to  Court  and  meeting  those  princes  and  dukes, 
whose  grand,  historic  names  had  always  had  a 
sort  of  fascination  for  her, — all  this  was  very 
tempting,  and  all  the  more  so  as  she  had  an 


n6  Eve  Triumphant 

excellent  pretext  also  for  prolonging  her  stay 
in  Europe.  Her  mother's  health  was  far  from 
satisfactory,  and  the  doctor  strongly  advised  her 
to  try  a  mild  climate  and  to  take  things  quietly. 
In  the  minds  of  both  women  the  words  of  the 
Marquise  were  doing  their  work  silently  and 
surely. 

From  Amsterdam,  Helen  wrote  her  husband 
one  of  her  charming  letters,  always  full  of  clever 
and  original  remarks  about  everything  and 
everybody.  She  sprinkled  it  over,  as  usual,  with 
a  few  words  of  love  and  affection,  and  then  fin- 
ished up  by  expressing  a  wish  to  spend  the 
winter  in  Italy.  She  assured  Mr.  Konald  that 
he  really  needed  a  holiday,  and  that  he  could 
not  have  a  more  agreeable  one  than  in  Rome; 
and  she  did  not  fail  to  hold  out  to  him  the 
temptation  of  the  researches  on  the  subject  of 
the  famous  Borgia  poison.  This  epistle  was  a 
veritable  masterpiece  of  feminine  diplomacy. 
Just  as  she  was  slipping  it  into  the  envelope, 
Dora  arrived  with  a  packet  of  letters  in  her 
hand. 

"  Have  you  anything  for  the  post?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mrs.  Ronald,  giving  her  the 
letter  she  had  just  written. 

"  I  '11  wager  that  I  can  guess  what  you  have 
been  saying  to  Henry !  " 

Helen  could  not  help  colouring. 

"  Well,  what  have  I  been  saying?  " 

"  Merely  that  you  want  to  spend  the  winter 


Feminine  Diplomacy  117 

in  Italy !  "  answered  Miss  Carroll.  "  I  have  told 
Jack  the  same  thing." 

"Oh,  Dody,  that  is  too  bad  of  you!  I  am 
married,  and  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  Henry's 
coming  to  join  me  here,  while  you — 

"  I  am  postponing  Jack's  misery  for  him,  that 
is  all !  Joking  apart,  though,  the  two  gentlemen 
will  not  be  very  well  pleased — more  's  the  pity ; 
but  it  will  help  to  improve  their  character.  I 
know  we  are  at  liberty  to  do  as  we  like,  but  they 
may  spoil  our  fun  with  their  worrying  and  their 
tiresome  reproaches.  We  shall  have  to  stand  up 
for  each  other.  Henry  will  be  hard  to  manage, 
as  you  promised  to  go  back  for  October,  and 
if  you  disappoint  him  he  will  be  furious.  He 
cannot  bear  any  one  to  fail  in  keeping  a  promise. 
The  Eonalds  are  so  terribly  straightforward." 

"All  right,"  said  Helen,  "we  will  see!"  and 
her  nostrils  dilated  slightly,  in  a  rebellious  way. 

The  anatomist  who  studies  the  human  body 
is  always  struck  with  surprise  and  admiration 
when  he  examines  the  minutiae  of  the  details 
which  compose  it,  and  the  way  in  which  Nature 
turns  to  account  the  most  tenuous  fibre  and  the 
smallest  molecule.  In  the  destiny  of  individuals, 
Fate  goes  to  work  in  the  same  prodigiously  care- 
ful way.  It  brings  from  afar,  from  distant  lands 
sometimes,  the  agents  necessary  for  its  purpose, 
and  then  from  a  word,  a  look,  or  a  gesture,  it 
allows  the  most  poignant  drama  or  divine  joy 
to  ensue;  and  these  produce  in  their  turn  a  whole 


i  18  Eve  Triumphant 

chain   of  sentiments,   which   have   incalculable 
consequences. 

The  coming  to  Paris  of  Mrs.  Ronald  and  Miss 
Carroll,  their  introduction  to  Madame  Verga, 
the  meeting  of  Helen  and  Count  Sant'  Anna, 
represented  the  result  of  the  machinations  of 
Providence — an  alarming  series  of  circum- 
stances, a  co-operation  of  beings,  things,  and 
fluids  such  as  would  bewilder  a  simple  novelist 
but  about  which  the  philosopher  and  the  psy- 
chologist would  be  in  their  element  and  would 
learn  much,  and  perhaps  even  obtain  some  light. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  LOST   PURSUER  REAPPEARS 

THE  first  week  in  August,  Miss  Carroll  and 
her   mother   started   for    Carlsbad,    while 
Helen,  Aunt  Sophie,  Charley  Beauchamp,  and 
Willie  Grey  went   to  join   the  Vergas  at   the 
Hotel  National  of  Lucerne. 

The  little  Swiss  town  seemed  rather  dull  at 
first  to  Mrs.  Ronald,  but  before  long  she  had 
begun  to  enjoy  the  Alpine  excursions,  the  long 
drives,  and  the  boating  or  walking  expeditions 
which  the  Marquis  organised  so  well.  After  a  few 
days  the  Marquise  Verga  and  she  had  become  the 
centre  of  a  little  coterie  which  excited  the  envy 
of  every  one  by  its  gaiety  and  liveliness.  After 
dinner,  for  which  they  dressed  exquisitely,  the 
two  American  ladies  took  their  seats  in  the  hall 
of  the  hotel,  which  was  the  general  rendezvous, 
and  there,  surrounded  by  their  friends  and  ad- 
mirers, they  rocked  themselves  gracefully  in 
their  chairs  while  listening  to  the  Neapolitan 
and  other  songs.  The  Italian  musicians,  who 
go  every  summer  to  Lucerne,  lend  a  charm  to 
the  place  which  all  the  jodlers  of  the  Tyrol 
would  fail  to  give  it.  After  a  day  spent  on  the 

119 


I2O  Eve  Triumphant 

grey-looking  lake,  on  the  green  or  snowy  moun- 
tains, among  the  cold  scenery  of  the  Alps,  it  is 
the  most  exquisite  pleasure  to  have  this  sudden 
sensation  of  sunshine,  of  warmth,  and  of  love 
which  one  gets  from  the  music  and  songs  of 
Italy.  Helen  felt  this  more  than  any  of  the 
other  women  present.  She  did  not  understand 
the  sense  of  the  words,  but  they  had  a  singular 
charm  for  her  ears.  It  seemed  to  her  that  they 
expressed  feelings  which  she  had  never  ex- 
perienced; there  was  a  something  passionate, 
luminous,  and  fugitive  about  them.  She  was 
fascinated  by  the  mimicry  of  the  Neapolitan 
singers,  by  their  black  eyes,  which  flashed  alter- 
nately with  love  or  anger,  or  which  were  suddenly 
dimmed  with  sadness,  and  with  the  excessive 
mobility  of  these  Latin  faces,  so  different  from 
the  cold,  impassive  faces  of  her  compatriots. 
She  had  been  to  Rome,  Naples,  and  Florence 
several  times,  and  the  musical  sound,  so  full  of 
colour,  as  it  were,  of  the  Italian  language  was 
not  new  to  her,  but  it  had  never  before  impressed 
her  so  strongly.  Perhaps  it  was  that  her  mind 
had  been  purposely  sensitised,  or  that  she  had 
some  vague  presentiment. 

One  evening,  Helen  and  the  Marquise  Verga 
were  in  their  usual  places  in  the  hall,  and  were 
talking  gaily  with  some  of  their  acquaintances. 
The  Marquis  had  gone  to  the  Schweizerhof  Hotel 
to  see  whether  a  friend,  whom  he  had  been  ex- 
pecting for  the  last  week,  and  who  had  been 


The  Lost  Pursuer  Reappears      121 

kept  at  Aix-les-Bains  by  the  gaming-table,  had 
arrived. 

Mrs.  Ronald,  looking  very  pretty  in  a  dress 
of  ecru  batiste,  trimmed  with  pale-green  ribbon, 
was  rocking  herself  gently  to  and  fro,  when  sud- 
denly astonishment  caused  her  face  and  her 
chair  to  become  rigid.  The  Marquis  Verga  was 
coming  in  with  the  young  man  who  had  followed 
her  about  so  doggedly  in  Paris,  and  whom  she 
thought  she  had  escaped  for  ever.  This,  then, 
was  the  Count  Sant'  Anna  of  whom  she  had 
heard  so  much.  She  was  literally  breathless 
with  surprise,  and  was  slightly  embarrassed  and 
alarmed.  The  Italian  did  not  see  her  at  first 
when  his  friend  took  him  up  to  introduce  him. 
He  started  when  he  recognised  her,  and  with  a 
flash  of  triumph  in  his  eyes,  and  a  mocking 
smile  playing  under  his  moustache,  he  bowed 
low. 

Madame  Verga  monopolised  the  newcomer  for 
a  few  moments,  besieging  him  with  questions 
about  all  the  people  they  knew  who  were  at  Aix- 
les-Bains.  As  soon  as  he  was  free,  he  advanced 
towards  Helen,  and  the  Marquis  rose  and  gave 
him  the  arm-chair  in  which  he  had  been  seated. 

"  I  do  not  often  have  such  good  luck  as  this," 
he  said,  fixing  his  magnificent  dark  eyes  on 
Helen.  "  Dame  Fortune  owed  me  this  recom- 
pense, for  she  has  treated  me  pretty  badly  at 
baccarat,"  he  added,  with  a  boldness  that  was 
very  near  akin  to  impertinence.  "  If  I  had  only 


122  Eve  Triumphant 

guessed  that  you  were  the  friend  of  whom  Verga 
told  me  in  his  letters,  I  should  have  been  here 
a  long  time  ago." 

"  I  do  not  see  why,"  said  Mrs.  Konald  coldly. 

"  Because  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
several  times  in  Paris,  and  I  would  have  gone 
to  the  end  of  the  world  to  see  you  again." 

It  would  have  been  impossible  for  Helen  to 
resist  this  challenge  to  a  flirtation. 

"  As  far  as  that !  "  she  said,  in  a  mocking  tone. 

"  As  far  as  that,"  repeated  the  young  man 
gravely.  "  We  Italians  are  apt  to  experience 
sudden  antipathies  or  sympathies.  When  a 
woman  rouses  in  us  an  instinctive  liking  for 
her,  she  obliges  us  to  follow  her;  it  is  a  sort 
of  homage  that  she  compels  us  to  render  to  her 
beauty,  and  at  which  she  cannot  take  offence." 

Mrs.  Ronald  was  so  thoroughly  stupefied  by 
the  subtlety  of  the  explanation  that  she  could 
not  find  a  word  to  say  in  reply. 

"  And  that  is  just  what  happened  to  me  with 
regard  to  you.  It  seemed  to  me  that  until  I 
met  you  I  had  never  before  seen  a  blond  woman." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  there  was  anything 
extraordinary  about  me " 

"  Eve's  blondeur  must  have  been  the  same." 

"  You  really  think  so?  But  that  is  not  at  all 
reassuring  for  me." 

"  And  still  less  for  other  people,"  answered 
the  Italian,  with  his  shrewd  smile.  "  I  guessed 
that  you  were  American." 


The  Lost  Pursuer  Reappears      123 

"How?" 

"  By  your  elegance,  in  the  first  place,  and  then 
by  your  quick,  decided  walk.  I  know  it  well, 
for  we  have  many  of  your  countrywomen  in 
Rome.  In  the  morning,  when  they  go  out,  they 
literally  light  up  the  Corso." 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that." 

"  You  did  not  come  here  direct  on  leaving 
Paris?  " 

"  No ;  I  went  to  Belgium  and  Holland." 

"  Do  you  like  Lucerne?  " 

"  Very  much." 

"  Do  you  intend  staying  until  the  end  of  the 
season?  " 

"  As  long  as  I  enjoy  myself  here." 

At  this  moment  Miss  Beauchamp,  who  had 
been  reading  her  New  York  Herald  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, came  up  to  her  niece. 

"  Are  you  coming  up-stairs?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  Aunt ;  I  was  waiting  for  you,"  answered 
Helen,  getting  up  with  an  alacrity  which  was 
just  a  manoeuvre  of  her  instinctive  coquetry. 
"  We  have  been  for  a  long  excursion  to-day,"  she 
said,  by  way  of  excusing  herself  to  Count  Sant' 
Anna,  "  and  to-morrow  we  are  going  to  the  Kigi 
for  luncheon,  so  if  I  am  to  be  in  good  form,  I 
shall  have  to  retire  early." 

After  wishing  the  others  "  Good-night,"  Helen 
went  across  to  speak  to  her  brother,  who  was 
talking  to  Willie  Grey  in  a  corner  of  the 
hall. 


124  Eve  Triumphant 

The  Italian  watched  her  as  she  moved  away. 

"  Cristi!  what  a  pretty  woman ! "  he  said  to 
the  Marquis.  "  Is  that  the  husband?  "  he  asked, 
indicating  Mr.  Beauchamp,  who  was  accompany- 
ing his  sister  and  aunt  to  the  lift. 

"  No ;  the  brother." 

"  She  is  a  widow?  " 

"  A  widow  by  favour  or  permission — a  grass- 
widow,  as  they  say  so  comically  in  English. 
Mr.  Ronald  has  stayed  behind  in  America." 

"  Deucedly  imprudent  of  him." 

"Oh,  he  does  not  risk  anything!  His  wife  is 
very  comme  il  faut — belongs  to  one  of  the  best 
families  in  New  York — all  the  moral  securities 
possible,  and  the  safest  one  of  all,  that  of  a 
virtuous  temperament." 

"  Yes,  yes ;  heard  that  before.  Let  a  good 
temptation  come  in  her  way,  though,  and  all  is 
up  with  the  fine  principles — the  ice  melts." 

"  You  don't  know  American  women  well  yet. 
They  are  all  brain.  I  believe  that  if  Providence 
is  really  busy  just  now  creating  a  third  sex,  as 
the  feminist  movement  would  make  us  suppose, 
the  United  States  will  supply  us  with  the  first 
specimens :  priestesses — doctresses." 

"  Oh,  horror !  Anyhow,"  added  the  Count,  "  if, 
with  hair  like  hers,  her  exquisite  complexion,  and 
a  grass-widow  for  several  months,  Mrs.  Ronald 
were  to  prove  invincible,  it  would  be  superhuman 
—inhuman  even.  I  am  very  much  tempted  to 
put  her  to  the  proof." 


The  Lost  Pursuer  Reappears      125 

"  I  would  bet  you  twenty  pounds  that  you 
would  have  your  trouble  for  nothing." 

"  I  '11  take  the  bet." 

At  this  moment  Madame  Verga  came  up  to 
the  two  men  to  wish  them  "  Good-night." 

"  What  are  you  plotting  there?  "  she  asked. 

"  The  perdition  of  a  woman,"  replied  Sant' 
Anna. 

"  I  might  have  guessed  that,"  observed  the 
Marquise,  with  a  pretty  laugh. 


CHAPTER  IX 

COUNT  SANT'  ANNA 

A  I/THOUGH  neither  a  prince  nor  a  duke, 
•fi  Emmanuel  Sant'  Anna  belonged  to  the 
most  aristocratic  Italian  society.  His  family 
had  come  from  Spain  in  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  had  taken  an  important  part  in  the  political 
affairs  of  Rome,  being  closely  connected  with 
the  Papacy.  Donna  Teresa,  his  mother,  was  a 
Princess  Salvoni,  the  sister  of  a  cardinal  eligible 
for  the  Popedom,  and  a  great  authority  in  the 
Holy  College.  His  father  had  been  one  of  those 
handsome  Roman  nobles  whose  life  was  spent 
between  the  Piazza  del  Gesu  and  the  Piazza  del 
Popolo,  and  who  were  always  to  be  seen  at  the 
fashionable  hour  at  the  Corso  or  the  Pincio,  with 
their  canes  held  up  to  their  lips,  watching  the 
beautiful  women,  and  exchanging  salutations 
and  mysterious  signs  with  them. 

After  1870,  the  childish  idea  of  remaking, 
with  Italians  alone,  the  Rome  of  olden  times, 
made  up  as  it  had  been  of  twenty  different  na- 
tions, was  held  out  as  a  temptation  to  such  men 
as  these,  who  were  totally  ignorant  of  business. 
Count  Sant'  Anna  was  one  of  the  first  to  be 

126 


Count  Sant'  Anna  127 

ensnared  by  it.  He  bought  land,  launched  out 
into  wild  speculations,  ruined  himself,  and  died 
of  grief.  A  year  later,  Donna  Teresa,  his  wife, 
inherited  her  father's  fortune.  When  she  had 
married  her  daughter,  and  given  her  a  dowry, 
she  was  left  with  an  estate  in  Umbria,  a  villa  in 
Frascati,  and  a  palace  in  Home.  She  lived  most 
economically,  so  that  her  son  might  have  plenty 
of  money  at  his  disposal.  She  loved  him  with 
that  excessive  maternal  affection  which  is  made 
up  of  all  that  is  good  and  bad  in  the  human 
heart.  To  her,  Lelo  (an  abbreviation  of  Em- 
manuel) was  all  and  everything  in  the  world. 
When,  out  in  her  modest  brougham  drawn  by 
one  horse,  she  happened  to  catch  sight  of  him 
at  the  Villa  Borghesi,  or  at  the  Pincio,  driving 
in  style  a  pair  of  thoroughbreds,  she  was  per- 
fectly happy,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  time  she  saw 
nothing  but  his  square  shoulders  and  erect  bear- 
ing. His  good  looks  were  her  pride  and  joy. 
He  had  one  of  those  Italian  faces  with  clear-cut 
features  of  classic  regularity,  lighted  up  by 
luminous  eyes,  with  a  tender,  melancholy  ex- 
pression in  them,  which  could  be  savagely  hard 
or  most  womanly  gentle — one  of  those  faces 
without  any  great  intellectual  power  or  any  in- 
dication of  idealism,  but  with  a  particular  charm 
due  to  extreme  sensitiveness.  Like  all  his  con- 
temporaries, Sant'  Anna  was  a  Roman  of  the 
transition,  an  ultra-refined  being,  living  an  aim- 
less life,  ignorant,  with  no  convictions,  who 


128  Eve  Triumphant 

neither  dared  abjure  the  past  nor  accept  the 
new  ideal. 

For  the  young  men  of  the  French  aristocracy, 
the  evolution  is  infinitely  less  difficult  and  less 
painful.  They  have  a  religion  and  a  patrie,  and 
nothing  prevents  them  from  adhering  to  the  one 
and  serving  the  other.  The  religion  of  the 
Roman  nobles  was  the  Popedom;  their  patrie 
was  the  Eternal  City;  and  both  of  these  have 
been  mutilated  and  transformed.  They  had  been 
accustomed  to  consider  Italy  as  the  enemy,  and 
they  have  been  compelled  to  enrol  themselves 
under  her  flag.  They  ought  to  forget  every- 
thing, and  to  be  born  again,  as  it  were.  Their 
faculties,  which  have  been  blunted  by  long  idle- 
ness, do  not  serve  them  well  now;  and  so,  con- 
scious of  their  inferiority,  they  stand  aside,  and 
one  cannot  blame  them  for  it. 

Lelo  had  been  brought  up  in  a  Jesuit  college. 
He  had  not  been  taught  there  the  true  history 
of  Italy,  that  which  tells  of  her  bitter  struggles, 
of  her  long  efforts  for  unity — efforts  which  have 
always  been  baffled  by  treason,  but  which  could 
not  fail  to  lead  up  to  the  fateful  event  of  1870; 
he  had  been  taught,  together  with  all  his  com- 
rades, a  distorted  history,  built  up  on  that 
ingenious  fable  of  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter, 
and  in  which  the  glorious  role  belongs  to  the 
Popedom.  He  was  lured  on  by  the  hope  that 
the  Pope,  with  one  or  other  of  the  great  Powers, 
would,  before  long,  reconquer  his  temporal 


Count  Sant'  Anna  129 

sovereignty,  and  that  the  Italians  would  be 
obliged  to  seek  another  capital. 

And  yet  Rome  was  no  longer  a  closed  city, 
where  no  philosophical  idea,  no  scientific  dis- 
covery, and  no  news  even,  could  penetrate  with- 
out being  verified  and  examined  by  an  absolute 
theocracy.  Newspapers  of  all  kinds  were  cried 
in  the  streets;  books  and  reviews  were  admitted 
without  any  difficulty;  modern  life  had  opened 
out  in  the  boldest  way  under  the  very  windows 
of  the  old  palaces,  round  the  basilicas,  the 
churches,  and  the  forums.  Through  the  breach 
in  the  Porta  Pia,  the  nineteeth  century  had  burst 
in,  and  had  projected  its  light  into  the  darkest 
corners  of  the  Transtevere.  The  very  atmos- 
phere of  the  Eternal  City  had  changed.  It  had 
lost  for  ever  its  sanctuary  beauty,  and  had 
entered  upon  the  thankless  and  painful  stage  of 
transition. 

In  spite  of  all  precautions,  the  new  atmos- 
phere, laden  with  ideas  of  liberty  and  patriot- 
ism, had  acted  on  Count  Sant'  Anna.  He  had 
been  drawn  irresistibly  into  the  new  current  by 
all  these  things.  He  had  begun  to  frequent  the 
cosmopolitan  set,  and  had  even  ventured  to 
enter  some  of  the  salons  of  the  Whites,  or  Royal- 
ists. He  had  met  there  Princess  Marina,  one  of 
the  sirens  of  the  Court  party.  She  was  Italian, 
slender  and  elegant,  with  the  beautiful  oval  face 
of  the  Latin  type,  heavy  black  hair,  and  very 
dark-blue  magnetic  eyes.  She  had  married  a 


130  Eve  Triumphant 

man  who  was  a  bigot  and  who  was  both  brutal 
and  tyrannical,  and  she  had  left  his  roof,  taking 
with  her  all  the  honours  of  the  separation;  or, 
in  other  words,  keeping  her  title  and  having  a 
sufficient  income  allowed  her.  On  account  of 
her  hatred  of  the  Prince,  who  belonged  to  the 
Blacks,  or  Clericals,  she  had  joined  the  Whites, 
and  had  become  one  of  the  most  devoted  friends 
of  the  Quirinal. 

Lelo  fell  in  love  with  Donna  Vittoria  with  all 
the  ardour  of  his  inexperienced  youth.  He  was 
twenty-two,  and  she  was  thirty-four.  This  love 
affair  completed  his  emancipation.  He  allowed 
himself  to  be  presented  to  the  King  and  Queen 
of  Italy,  but  he  appeared  at  Court  only  at  rare 
intervals.  This  act  of  political  fealty  seems 
Platonic  enough;  but,  taking  into  consideration 
his  education  and  the  attachment  of  all  his  peo- 
ple to  the  Vatican,  it  must  certainly  have  cost 
him  a  great  moral  effort,  of  which  he  would  not 
have  been  capable  without  the  influence  and 
suggestion  of  Donna  Vittoria.  His  defection 
brought  about  terrible  family  quarrels,  and 
caused  him  to  be  disinherited  by  a  stubborn 
uncle. 

After  all  this,  Sant'  Anna  considered  that  he 
had  earned  the  right  to  remain  tranquil,  and  so 
went  on  living  from  day  to  day  with  that  philo- 
sophical indifference  which  distinguishes  most 
of  his  compatriots. 

In  order  to  understand  the  character  of  a  peo- 


Count  Sant'  Anna  131 

pie,  one  must  know  its  language  and  its  history. 
No  nation  lias  paid  so  dearly  for  its  unity  as 
Italy.  For  centuries  she  has  been  experimented 
on,  torn  to  pieces,  and  deceived  by  various  po- 
litical parties.  She  has  not  perished  in  the 
struggle  simply  because  she  bears  a  charmed 
life,  thanks  to  her  beauty,  her  art,  and  her  poetry ; 
Avhile  in  every  one  of  her  sons  one  sees,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  the  lassitude  which  fol- 
lows a  long  crisis,  the  scepticism  born  of  re- 
peated treasons,  the  prudence,  ruse,  and  subtlety 
which  tyranny  develops. 

All  this  was  to  be  found  in  the  young  Roman. 
The  hard  work  of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  the  activity 
of  the  American,  and  the  creative  fever  of  the 
Frenchman  made  him  shrug  his  shoulders  and 
say,  with  haughty  contempt:  "A.  che  serve!" 
("What's  the  good  of  it  all!").  The  excite- 
ment of  love  and  of  the  gaming-table,  and  his 
passion  for  horses  and  hunting,  were  enough  to 
fill  his  life.  He  was  a  gambler,  but  only  by  fits 
and  starts;  he  would  be  months  without  touch- 
ing a  card,  and  then  quite  suddenly  the  taste 
for  them  would  come  back  to  him.  These  gam- 
bling fits  had  already  cost  his  mother  consider- 
able sums  of  money,  but  he  had  always  regretted 
his  folly  so  sincerely  that  she  had  never  had 
the  courage  to  reproach  him  for  it. 

Count  Sant'  Anna,  like  the  majority  of  the 
Italian  aristocracy,  loved  Paris,  if  not  France. 
He  had  friends  and  relatives  there,  and  every 


132  Eve  Triumphant 

year  spent  part  of  the  season  in  the  gay  French 
capital.  Before  returning  home  he  usually 
stopped  at  Aix-les-Bains,  where  baccarat  im- 
poverished more  often  than  enriched  him,  so 
that  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  the  country  to 
economise.  Hunting  then  helped  him  to  wait 
patiently  until  he  could  return  to  Rome,  where, 
in  November,  he  took  up  once  more  the  round 
of  his  society  life. 

Workers  despise  men  of  this  category,  but 
they  are  wrong;  for  although  such  an  existence 
may  appear  aimless  and  wanting  in  relief,  it  is 
far  from  being  useless. 

Lelo  occupied  the  place  which  had  been  as- 
signed to  him  in  this  world.  He  always  treated 
his  inferiors  with  that  familiar  and  yet  dignified 
kindness  which  never  humiliates  them.  His  ser- 
vants and  tenants  adored  him,  and  had  an  almost 
feudal  respect  for  him;  while  he,  on  his  side, 
looked  upon  them  as  belonging  to  his  family. 
When  he  happened  to  meet  with  an  intelligent 
lad  among  his  dependents,  he  would  help  him 
to  make  a  position  for  himself.  Nothing  gave 
him  so  much  pleasure  as  to  see  one  of  his  servants 
— a  mere  kitchen-drudge,  perhaps,  or  a  groom- 
getting  on  in  life,  and  he  never  lost  sight  of  him. 
He  was,  in  fact,  a  true  grand  seigneur,  and  a 
true  grand  seigneur  understands  the  meaning  of 
fraternity  better  than  a  bourgeois  or  a  Socialist. 

Amongst  the  men  of  high  society  in  Rome, 
Sant'  Anna  was  one  of  those  who  had  the  most 


Count  Sant'  Anna  133 

prestige.  He  was  so  handsome  that  he  had  won 
the  admiration  of  all  the  women  in  the  cosmo- 
politan set.  He  had  been  faithless  to  the  Prin- 
cess Marina  times  without  number,  but  she 
closed  her  eyes  heroically  in  order  to  avoid  scenes 
which  would  have  driven  him  away  for  ever; 
and  as  it  was,  he  always  came  back  to  her  again. 
The  Frenchman  is,  perhaps,  of  all  men,  the  one 
who  puts  the  most  idealism,  intelligence,  and 
elevated  sentiment  into  his  love  affairs.  To  the 
Italian,  and  particularly  the  Italian  aristocrat, 
love  is  but  an  adventure,  which,  nevertheless, 
rouses  within  him  the  most  ardent  jealousy  and 
almost  Oriental  feelings.  In  his  youth  he  is  less 
faithful  than  the  Frenchman,  and  in  his  maturity 
more  so,  and  this  is  not  due  to  any  virtue  on 
his  part,  but  rather  to  native  indolence. 

When  Lelo  was  brought  so  unexpectedly  into 
the  presence  of  Mrs.  Ronald,  he  experienced  that 
strange  inward  tumult  which  a  sensitive  person 
often  feels  on  meeting  with  some  one  who  is 
destined  to  affect  his  or  her  after-life.  Supersti- 
tious as  he  was,  he  looked  upon  this  meeting  as 
an  encouraging  fatality,  and,  with  his  frivolous 
conception  of  love  and  of  woman,  he  imagined 
that  this  American  woman,  so  far  away  from 
her  husband,  and  evidently  a  coquette,  would 
be  delighted  to  have  a  little  diversion,  and  he 
thanked  his  good  star  for  having  sent  him  such 
a  delicious  adventure  to  put  an  end  to  his 
gambling  fit. 


CHAPTER  X 

IMPERVIOUS  TO  DANGER 

DELIGION  has  a  considerable  influence  on 
1  \  the  formation  of  a  woman's  character. 
Catholicism  acts  on  the  soul  and  imagination, 
and  Protestantism  on  the  intellect.  Feminity 
is  Catholic,  and  feminism  is  Protestant. 

The  American  woman  prides  herself  on  her 
coldness  of  temperament,  and  the  French- 
woman on  her  susceptibility.  When  the  latter 
is  in  love,  her  one  ambition  and  delight  is  to 
give  happiness,  while  the  American  woman  ex- 
pects to  be  made  happy  herself.  This  opposite 
way  of  looking  at  things  makes  them  as  different 
from  each  other  as  two  creatures  of  the  same 
species  could  possibly  be. 

Mrs.  Eonald  was  a  proof  of  this.  The  fort- 
night which  followed  the  introduction  of  Count 
Sant'  Anna  was  like  some  beautiful  dream  to 
her.  There  were  delightful  walks  through  woods 
and  across  mountains,  with  blue  lakes  below, 
lovely  halting-places,  gay  chats,  and  innocent 
tete-a-tetes  with  a  handsome,  high-born  man, 
whose  voice  was  low  and  mellow.  This  idyll 
was  lived  in  the  intoxicating  atmosphere  created 

134 


Impervious  to  Danger  135 

by  admiration  and  sympathetic  feeling,  those 
fluids  which  envelop  a  woman  with  warmth  and 
light,  making  the  very  air  she  breathes  light 
and  pleasant  to  her. 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  everything,  Helen  re- 
mained untroubled.  Lelo  was  not  long  in  recog* 
nising  the  truth  of  what  Marquis  Verga  had  said 
to  him,  but  he  was  not  discouraged.  In  love 
affairs,  the  Italian  delights  in  resistance.  The 
frank  coquetry  of  the  young  American  woman 
slightly  disconcerted  him.  She  seemed  honestly 
glad  that  he  should  like  her,  and  even  exerted 
herself  to  that  end;  but  all  that  she  wanted 
was  admiration,  and  plenty  of  it.  The  Count 
was  quite  aware  of  this.  Any  love  speeches  that 
he  ventured  on  in  the  course  of  their  conversa- 
tion were  taken  as  a  joke,  and  merely  as  a  joke. 
For  the  first  time  he  found  himself  in  the  pre- 
sence of  an  absolutely  good  woman,  who  was 
quite  love-proof.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this 
pleasant  friendship  had  not  caused  Mrs.  Ronald 
a  single  thought  which  could  have  troubled  her 
conscience.  The  young  Koman  interested  her  as 
an  exotic,  because  he  was  different  from  all  other 
men  she  had  known.  His  changeable  humour, 
his  excessive  sensitiveness,  his  fits  of  melancholy 
and  indolence,  both  astonished  and  amused  her. 
Then,  too,  the  title  of  Count  sounded  agreeable 
to  the  ear,  and  gave  him  a  certain  prestige.  She 
came  very  near  thinking  of  him  as  a  superior 
being.  In  all  her  letters  to  Dora  she  spoke  of 


136  Eve  Triumphant 

him,  and,  strangely  enough,  this  name  of  Sant* 
Anna  captivated  the  fancy  of  the  young  girl. 
She  began  to  look  eagerly  forward  to  making  the 
acquaintance  of  this  friend  of  the  Vergas,  and 
finally,  without  any  scruples  about  the  matter, 
she  began  to  hurry  her  mother  through  with  her 
treatment,  so  that  they  might  leave  Carlsbad  as 
quickly  as  possible. 

As  Miss  Carroll  had  foreseen,  Mr.  Konald  was 
very  much  hurt  and  annoyed  to  find  that  his 
wife  did  not  intend  to  keep  her  word.  The  per- 
spective of  discovering  the  Borgia  poison  did 
not  tempt  him  in  the  least.  He  replied  to 
Helen's  letter,  saying  that  he  should  not  be  able 
in  any  case  to  spend  the  winter  in  Rome.  He 
hoped  that  she  would  not  let  herself  be  per- 
suaded by  the  Vergas,  and  he  counted  on  her 
returning  home  in  October  as  she  had  promised. 
Without  being  aware  of  it  himself,  he  wrote  in 
a  severe  tone,  somewhat  authoritatively.  Helen 
was  not  at  all  accustomed  to  this;  it  was  the 
first  time  that  her  husband  had  refused  her  any- 
thing. Under  the  impulse  of  her  anger,  or  of 
some  feeling  for  which  she  could  not  account, 
she  wrote  one  of  those  fiery  letters  which  seem 
to  be  dictated  by  an  evil  spirit — a  letter  such  as 
one  always  regrets  and  is  tempted  to  disown,  and 
which  bears  unforeseen  consequences.  The  sub- 
stance of  it  was  that  she  informed  her  husband 
she  was  tempted  to  take  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  her  for  spending  an  agreeable  sea- 


Impervious  to  Danger  137 

son  in  Rome;  that  if  he  loved  her  more  than 
he  did  his  laboratory  he  would  come  to  her;  and 
that  if  he  did  not,  she  should  not  scruple  to  stay 
a  few  months  longer  in  Europe. 

When  Mrs.  Ronald  announced  her  decision  to 
her  aunt  and  brother,  they  were  loud  in  their 
protestations,  and  blamed  her  severely.  Mr. 
Beauchainp,  who  was  kindness  itself,  had  from 
the  first  moment  taken  a  strong  dislike  to  Count 
Sant'  Anna.  He  was  not  long  in  perceiving  that 
the  young  man  was  paying  court  to  his  sister. 
He  had  always  seen  her  surrounded  by  admirers, 
but  for  some  reason  or  another  the  attentions  of 
the  young  Roman  displeased  him,  and  he  felt 
himself  personally  aggrieved. 

"  Take  care ! "  he  said  one  day  to  Helen. 
"  This  young  Count  does  not  inspire  me  with 
confidence.  Foreigners  fancy  that  anything  is 
allowed  with  a  coquettish  woman — and  that  you 
are  with  a  vengeance." 

"  You  need  not  alarm  yourself ;  no  one  will 
ever  be  disrespectful  to  me,"  answered  Mrs. 
Ronald,  with  her  usual  assurance. 

"  I  hope  not,  but  it  would  be  wiser  not  to 
lay  yourself  open  to  anything  of  the  kind.  You 
have  no  idea  how  different  Italian  men  are  from 
Americans.  I  should  never  have  thought  it  my- 
self if  I  had  not  known  the  Vergas  so  intimately. 
Beware,  I  say !  " 

A  few  days  later  Charley  received  a  cable- 
gram, calling  him  back  to  New  York  im- 


138  Eve  Triumphant 

mediately.  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  he 
had  had  his  holidays  cut  short  in  this  way, 
but  he  had  never  before  felt  so  vexed  about 
it. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  leave  you,"  he  said 
to  his  sister,  "  and  if  only  my  own  interests 
were  at  stake,  I  would  not  go.  Promise  me  you 
will  come  home  in  October,  so  that  I  may  feel 
easy  in  my  mind." 

"  I  do  not  promise  anything,"  answered  Mrs. 
Ronald  drily. 

"  It  would  be  cruel  to  disappoint  Henry. 
Then,  too,  you  surely  would  not  give  Dora  such 
a  bad  example?  If  you  go  to  Rome,  she  will 
want  to  go  with  you.  Jack  will  be  annoyed, 
and  it  might  lead  to  the  breaking  off  of  the 
engagement." 

"  Dody  is  old  enough  to  know  what  she  ought 
to  do.  I  do  not  consider  myself  responsible  for 
her." 

Mr.  Beauchamp  would  not  argue  the  subject. 
He  knew  that  it  was  dangerous  to  make  Helen 
express  her  will  about  anything,  as  after  that 
she  would  never  yield.  Before  leaving,  he  asked 
his  aunt  to  do  all  in  her  power  to  persuade  his 
sister  to  give  up  her  project.  He  was  even 
tempted  to  put  her  on  her  guard  with  reference 
to  the  Count,  but  his  brotherly  loyalty  prevented 
him  from  doing  so.  At  the  station,  when  he 
was  bidding  his  sister  farewell,  he  felt  a  pang 
of  uneasiness. 


Impervious  to  Danger  139 

"  Good-bye — and  in  six  weeks !  "  he  called  out 
from  the  train. 

Helen  turned  her  head  away  without  an- 
swering. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  UNTASTED  FRUIT 

MRS.  RONALD  had  owned  to  M.  de  Limeray 
that  she  loved  danger;  and  certainly  for 
the  last  three  weeks  she  had  been  playing  like 
a  child  with  all  the  passions  and  vanity  of  a 
man,  without  suspecting  the  danger  to  which  she 
was  exposing  herself.  The  moral  and  physical 
education  of  the  American  is  different  from  that 
of  the  European,  and  this  particular  education 
is  a  greater  protection  for  woman  than  either  her 
principles  or  her  integrity.  Helen  had  always 
tantalised  and  tyrannised  over  her  admirers 
with  impunity,  but  not  one  of  them  had  ever 
gone  further  than  she  had  wished.  Count  Sant' 
Anna  was  of  another  temperament  altogether; 
and  the  Platonic  flirtation  which  was  imposed 
upon  him  seemed  to  him  an  insult  to  his  man- 
hood, and  at  times  exasperated  him  until  he 
was  furiously  angry.  The  departure  of  Mr. 
Beauchamp  delighted  him,  for  he  had  guessed 
the  latter's  hostile  feeling,  and  imagined  that 
it  might  thwart  his  plans.  He  felt,  now,  that 
Helen  was  more  in  his  power. 

The  first  week  in  September,  the  little  Italo- 
140 


The  Untasted  Fruit  141 

American  coterie  left  Lucerne  for  Ouchy,  and 
settled  at  the  Hotel  Beau-Kivage. 

The  Marquis  Verga,  although  a  Koman,  had 
a  certain  amount  of  physical  activity.  His 
duties  compelled  him  to  accompany  the  Queen 
of  Italy  during  her  sojourn  in  the  Alps.  He  had 
in  this  way  acquired  a  taste  for  mountaineering, 
and  he  now  chose  Switzerland  as  his  practising 
ground.  Lelo,  who  was  not  a  lover  of  nature, 
and  who  detested  excursions,  was  delighted  to 
be  spared  the  Bigi  and  the  Pilatus,  and  to  have 
nothing  more  in  perspective  than  the  beautiful 
easy  walks  round  Lake  Leman.  The  Hotel 
Beau-Kivage  was  infinitely  more  private  than 
the  Hotel  National.  It  had  beautiful  grounds, 
with  lovely  nooks  where  one  could  be  apart  from 
the  others,  and  where  tender  speeches  must  take 
more  effect ;  the  scenery  was  charming,  and  there 
were  a  hundred  things  calculated  to  aid  and 
abet  the  Count  in  his  suit.  He  was  more  and 
more  in  love  each  day.  Helen's  brilliant  beauty, 
her  hair,  which  looked  as  though  it  had  been 
dipped  in  a  bath  of  gold,  her  dazzling  com- 
plexion, and  her  magnificent  moral  and  physical 
healthiness  tempted  him  beyond  his  strength. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  this  woman  belonged  to 
him  naturally,  she  was  so  fair  and  beautiful,  and 
he  so  dark.  And  yet  he  felt  that  she  had  re- 
mained proof  against  the  fascination  he  had 
been  trying  to  exercise  over  her.  Neither  his 
words,  his  mute  admiration,  nor  his  tender 


142  Eve  Triumphant 

glances  had  disturbed  her  serenity,  and  every 
evening,  when  she  gave  him  her  hand,  it  was 
always  as  fresh  and  cool  as  a  child's.  One  after- 
noon, when  by  a  rare  chance  he  found  himself 
alone  with  her  in  the  salon,  he  ventured  to  speak 
to  her  of  affection  and  love  and  guided  her  skil- 
fully along  to  the  flowery  edge  of  the  precipice. 
She  listened  to  all  the  pretty  things  he  said, 
allowing  herself  to  be  led  on  without  any 
resistance,  and  then,  suddenly,  she  asked  quite 
coolly : 

"  Do  you  believe  that  love  is  a  fluid,  like 
warmth  and  like  electricity?  " 

Sant'  Anna  started,  so  surprised  was  he  at 
the  strange  question. 

"  Love  a  fluid !  "  he  repeated,  bewildered  and 
almost  speechless. 

"Yes;  men  of  science  say  that  they  will 
even  be  able  to  analyse  it,  to  register  it  with 
the  galvanometer,  and  even  to  photograph 
it." 

On  hearing  such  an  enormity,  which  to  his 
ignorance  worthy  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  to 
his  youth,  sounded  like  blasphemy,  he  rose,  took 
his  hat,  and  went  away  without  a  word,  leaving 
Mrs.  Ronald  stupefied  with  amazement.  A  few 
hours  later,  she  tried  to  explain  to  him  that  she 
had  not  been  making  fun  of  him. 

"  Hush,  hush !  "  he  answered ;  "  I  do  not  want 
to  know  the  secrets  of  the  gods.  For  my  part, 
as  Carmen  says: 


The  Untasted  Fruit  143 

"  L'amour  est  enfant  de  Bohdme, 
II  n'a  jamais  connu  de  loi; 
Si  tu  ne  m'aimes  pas,  je  t'aime ; 
Si  je  t'aime,  prends  garde  &  toi ! " 

A  Frenchwoman,  pure-minded  as  Mrs.  Ronald 
was,  would  not  have  allowed  a  man  to  make  love 
to  her  in  this  way.  It  would  not  have  been 
enough  for  her  that  she  was  not  sinning  herself ; 
she  would  have  had  scruples  about  leading  a 
man  on  and  making  him  unhappy.  The  Ameri- 
can woman  never  refuses  herself  the  luxury 
of  an  admirer.  It  was  as  such  that  Helen 
considered  the  Count  Sant'  Anna,  but  he,  un- 
fortunately, had  none  of  the  Platonism  which  dis- 
tinguishes this  essentially  transatlantic  species 
of  lover.  The  climax  of  her  imprudence  was, 
that  she  was  very  amiable  to  Willie  Grey,  who, 
at  the  request  of  her  brother,  had  accompanied 
her  and  Miss  Beauchamp  to  Ouchy.  Every 
morning  she  went  out  cycling  with  M.  Verga  and 
the  young  artist.  Lelo,  who  had  a  horror  of 
this  kind  of  locomotion,  always  stayed  at  home. 
When  he  saw  Mrs.  Ronald,  with  her  sailor  hat, 
her  short  jacket,  and  close-fitting  skirt,  spring 
lightly  on  to  her  machine,  her  figure  erect,  and 
then  dart  off  at  full  speed,  his  love  was  increased 
by  the  wild  jealousy  he  felt. 

The  Marquis  Verga  was  highly  amused  at  the 
little  comedy  which  was  being  played  under  his 
eyes,  and  it  was  certainly  more  through  mas- 


144  Eve  Triumphant 

culine  rivalry  than  from  a  love  of  virtue  that 
he  enjoyed  his  friend's  failure. 

"  Was  n't  I  right? "  he  asked  one  evening, 
when  Lelo,  after  accompanying  Helen  to  the  lift, 
came  back  to  his  seat,  and  began  to  twist  his 
moustache  furiously.  "  What  do  you  think  now 
about  American  virtue?  " 

"  That  it  very  much  resembles  perversity.  It 
is  not  self-respect,  but  rather  the  satisfaction  of 
annoying  a  man,  and  not  allowing  him  to 
triumph." 

"  That  is  just  it." 

"  Well,  I  believe  that  every  woman  has,  some 
time  in  her  life,  whether  she  yields  to  it  or  not, 
a  weak  moment.  Mrs.  Ronald  has  not  had  hers 
yet,  and  that  is  what  makes  her  so  audacious; 
but,  per  Bacco!  I  will  find  a  way  to  bring  it 
about,  and  to  take  advantage  of  it.  She  has 
decided  to  come  to  Borne  this  winter." 

"  Yes,  I  put  the  idea  into  her  head,  but  cer- 
tainly did  not  intend  to  pave  the  way  for  you! 
All  the  same,  I  fancy  you  are  wasting  your  time." 

"  Possibly ;  but  Mrs.  Ronald  shall  not  cause 
me  to  be  ridiculous  in  my  own  eyes.  If  I  cannot 
make  her  respect  man,  I  '11  make  her  fear  him, 
as  true  as  my  name  is  Sant'  Anna,"  said  the 
Italian,  with  a  savage  expression  in  his  eyes. 

With  all  her  daring,  Helen  did  not  risk  dan- 
gerous tete-a-tetes.  She  allowed  the  flirtation 
to  continue,  but  within  sight,  if  not  within  ear- 
shot, of  every  one.  In  spite  of  his  Italian  clever- 


The  Untasted  Fruit  145 

ness,  Lelo  had  not  managed  to  isolate  her  from 
the  others.  He  had  laid  many  traps,  but  as  she 
was  a  thoroughly  right-minded  woman,  she  had 
seen  them.  It  is  very  rarely  that  a  woman  is 
taken  unawares,  although  she  always  pretends 
to  be.  The  young  man  was  convinced  that  if 
he  could  only  speak  to  her  a  few  minutes  quite 
alone,  he  should  be  able  to  make  an  impression 
on  her,  and  he  was  continually  looking  out  for 
the  opportunity. 

One  morning,  in  crossing  the  landing  at  the 
hotel,  he  saw  that  the  salon  and  bedroom  which 
separated  Mrs.  Ronald  from  her  aunt  were 
empty,  and  he  was  at  once  inspired  with  a  dia- 
bolical idea.  He  went  in,  inspected  the  two 
rooms,  and  then,  hurrying  down-stairs  to  the 
office,  he  announced  the  arrival  of  his  brother- 
in-law  and  sister,  and  engaged  the  vacant  apart- 
ments for  them.  He  spoke  to  the  Vergas  and 
to  Helen  of  the  visitors  he  expected,  and  gave 
orders,  while  they  were  present,  for  flowers  to 
be  put  in  these  rooms.  He  had  discovered  a 
most  unique  position,  and  it  was  now  a  question 
of  taking  advantage  of  it.  The  following  even- 
ing, after  dinner,  every  one  went  out  into  the 
garden.  It  was  a  beautiful,  mild,  moonlight 
night,  and  Sant'  Anna  took  Helen  to  the  edge 
of  the  lake.  She  had  thrown  a  Breton  cloak 
over  her  thin  dress  and,  in  contrast  with  the 
dark  wraps,  her  bare  head,  in  the  silvery  light 
of  the  n?oon,  seemed  to  be  of  a  marvellous 


146  Eve  Triumphant 

blondeur.  She  was  doing  all  the  conversation, 
while  her  companion  walked  along  at  her  side 
looking  down  on  the  ground,  evidently  absorbed 
in  thought. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  you  this  evening?  " 
she  asked.  "  Are  you  cross?  " 

"  Not  at  all !  I  am  trying  to  find  the  solution 
of  a  problem." 

"  In  mathematics?  " 

"No;  in  psychology." 

"Ah,  that  interests  me!  May  I  know  what 
it  is?" 

"Certainly;  and  you  will  be  able  to  help  me 
with  it  better  than  any  one,  as  you  are  the 
problem  yourself." 

"I?" 

"Yes;  I  am  wondering  how  it  is  possible  for 
you  at  your  age,  and  with  your  beauty  and  in- 
telligence, to  live  without  love." 

"Without  love!  But  I  love  my  husband,  and 
could  never  love  any  one  else.  He  is  a  splendid 
man,  and  I  have  never  yet  met  any  one  to  com- 
pare with  him,  and  probably  I  never  shall." 

"  And  yet  you  are  here,  so  far  away  from 
him,  and  by  your  own  free  will!  I  begin  to 
think  that  you  American  women  have  a  special 
kind  of  sentiment  for  your  husbands,  a  sentiment 
which  allows  you  to  travel,  to  enjoy  yourselves, 
and  be  quite  happy  without  them.  When  one 
is  really  in  love,  it  is  heartrending  to  be 
separated." 


The  Untasted  Fruit  147 

Mrs.  Ronald  laughed. 

"  Thank  heaven !  we  do  not  experience  any- 
thing so  inconvenient.  In  Europe,  love  appears 
to  be  the  principal  thing  in  life.  With  us  it 
is  a  secondary  affair,  and  we  women  do  not  live 
solely  for  man." 

"  No !    And  for  whom  do  you  live?  " 

"  For  our  family,  for  society,  for  our  friends. 
Then,  too,  we  have  to  cultivate  our  minds,  to 
progress,  and  to  work  for  the  improvement  of 
our  fellow-creatures." 

At  the  statement  of  this  modern  programme, 
Lelo  stopped  short  and  gazed  at  Helen  in 
amazement. 

"  You  are  joking ! "  he  said  at  last. 

"  Not  at  all." 

"  And  that  is  enough  for  you?  " 

"  Quite." 

"  You  do  not  need  anything  else — you  your- 
self? " 

"  I  need  a  true,  faithful  love,  and  that  is  just 
what  I  have,"  answered  Mrs.  Ronald,  with 
dignity. 

Sant'  Anna  walked  on  again. 

"  I  guessed  rightly,"  he  said.  "  There  is  in 
you  a  certain  purity,  which  I  felt  and  which 
charmed  and  surprised  me.  You  do  not  yet 
know  what  there  is  divine  in  life.  You  will 
know  some  day,  and,"  he  added  in  a  low,  broken 
voice,  "  I  would  give  ten  years  of  my  existence 
to  be  the  one  who  will  teach  you  this." 


148  Eve  Triumphant 

For  the  first  time  Helen  appeared  moved,  but 
she  was  soon  herself  again. 

"  Don't  talk  nonsense ! "  she  said,  in  a  dry 
tone.  "  Let  us  go  back  now." 

Lelo  bit  his  lips. 

"  As  you  like,"  he  answered  coldly. 

Mrs.  Ronald  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  on 
the  veranda  with  the  Vergas,  Willie  Grey,  and 
a  few  other  acquaintances.  She  was  absent- 
minded  and  silent,  which  was  most  unusual  with 
her.  Sant'  Anna  was  seated  in  a  shady  corner 
some  little  distance  from  her  and,  whenever  she 
met  his  eyes,  her  rocking-chair  moved  more 
quickly,  thus  betraying  the  state  of  her  nerves. 

About  ten  o'clock  she  went  up-stairs  to  her 
own  rooms,  and,  anxious  to  be  alone,  she  very 
soon  dismissed  her  maid.  She  felt  joyful  and 
exultant,  and  as  she  moved  about  in  the  room 
all  flooded  with  light,  she  hummed  an  Italian 
song  of  which  she  was  particularly  fond.  After 
undressing,  she  put  on  a  peignoir  of  white 
surah  silk  trimmed  with  handsome  lace,  and, 
turning  down  the  electric  light,  sat  down  for 
a  few  minutes  before  one  of  the  open  windows, 
revelling  in  the  scenery  to  which  the  full  moon 
lent  an  ideal  beauty.  While  her  gaze  was  wan- 
dering aimlessly  over  the  luminous  lake,  and 
the  mountains  so  divinely  outlined,  the  words 
she  had  heard  came  back  to  her  brain.  Ever 
since  the  days  of  Eden,  the  means  of  seduction 
and  the  causes  of  woman's  weakness  have  never 


The  Untasted  Fruit  149 

changed,  which  fact  proves  that  ruse  and  curi- 
osity are  among  the  immutable  factors  of  the 
human  soul.  Man  still  succeeds  with  woman  by 
persuading  her  that  the  tree  of  life  has  fruits 
which  she  has  not  tasted,  the  flavour  of  which 
is  quite  unknown  to  her.  The  temptation  was 
working  in  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Ronald,  the  ultra- 
modern American  woman,  just  as  it  did,  accord- 
ing to  the  inspired  poet,  with  Eve. 

Sant'  Anna  had  affirmed  that  there  was  some- 
thing divine  in  life  which  she  had  never  ex- 
perienced. She  began  to  recall  the  days  of  her 
engagement,  her  early  married  life.  Yes,  she 
had  been  happy,  with  a  sort  of  joyous,  deep 
happiness,  but  in  a  very  human  way,  and  with- 
out any  intoxicating  bliss.  This  certainly 
aroused  within  her  the  desire  to  know — the 
regret  she  had  felt  sometimes  when  reading 
books  which  described  this  passionate  love.  She 
remembered  conversations  she  had  had  with  her 
girl-friends  at  the  Convent  of  the  Assumption. 
All  of  them  had  ideals  and  wonderful  dreams, 
and  all  of  them  appeared  to  be  living  in  expecta- 
tion of  some  great  mystery.  With  their  child- 
like souls,  they  had  had  presentiments  of  certain 
things  of  which  Helen  was  still  ignorant.  It 
was  really  too  bad! 

Just  as  she  was  saying  this  to  herself  she 
heard  something  being  moved,  and  then  foot- 
steps in  the  room  next  hers,  which  she  knew 
was  not  occupied.  She  listened  a  moment,  and 


150  Eve  Triumphant 

then,  by  some  magnetic  intuition,  she  was  sure 
that  Count  Sant'  Anna  was  there.  The  veins 
in  her  throat  beat  violently  and  she  was  terrified. 
She  said  to  herself  that  the  door  was  bolted, 
and  she  had  nothing  to  fear,  but  beads  of  cold 
perspiration  started  out  on  her  forehead.  She 
held  her  breath  in  order  to  hear  better.  Sud- 
denly a  hand  seized  the  knob  of  the  door,  turned 
it  boldly,  and  Lelo,  looking  very  handsome,  his 
eyes  aflame  with  passion  and  daring,  appeared 
in  her  room. 

Helen  rose  to  her  feet  in  her  fright. 

"  How  dare  you ! "  she  exclaimed,  her  voice 
choked  and  instinctively  lowered,  lest  the  neigh- 
bours on  the  right  should  hear.  "  Go  away  this 
instant ! " 

Instead  of  obeying,  the  Count  advanced  to- 
wards Helen,  and,  bending  his  knee  on  the  chair 
which  she  was  using  as  a  barrier,  said  in  a  low 
voice : 

"  Yon  must  listen  to  me.  Come  into  the 
salon.  It  was  for  you  that  I  put  flowers  there." 

"  It  is  infamous  of  you — perfectly  infamous !  " 
repeated  Helen,  clenching  more  tightly  still  the 
back  of  the  chair  which  separated  her  from  the 
Italian. 

"  I  ask  you  for  an  audience  just  as  I  would 
a  queen.  You  have  nothing  to  fear,  on  my 
honour ! " 

"Your  honour!  A  precious  guarantee!  You 
are  no  gentleman !  " 


The  Untasted  Fruit  151 

"  If  I  were  no  gentleman,"  answered  Lelo, 
lowering  his  voice  still  more,  "  I  should  have 
come  a  couple  of  hours  later,  and  should  have 
found  you  then  quite  defenceless." 

The  blood  rushed  to  Mrs.  Ronald's  face. 

"  Like  the  brigands  of  your  country !  "  she  said, 
with  stinging  disdain. 

Sant'  Anna  turned  pale  with  anger. 

"  And  what  has  driven  me  to  this  bold  deed, 
if  not  your  coquetry?"  he  asked,  with  concen- 
trated violence.  "  From  the  first  moment  I  let. 
you  see  the  admiration  with  which  you  in- 
spired me.  You  accepted  my  homage ;  you  have 
tempted  me  beyond  my  strength,  and — I  love 
you ! " 

Helen  put  her  hands  to  her  ears.  The  young 
man  drew  them  away,  and  held  them  by  force. 

"  I  love  you !  "  he  repeated. 

The  warm  light  from  the  Italian's  eyes  seemed 
to  have  touched  Helen's  forehead;  her  eyelids 
drooped,  and  a  sort  of  intoxication  took  posses- 
sion of  her  brain,  but  her  well-trained  will  came 
to  her  rescue,  enabling  her  to  master  herself  at 
once. 

"  But  I  do  not  love  you ! "  she  said,  drawing 
away  her  hands  quickly.  "  It  was  wrong  of  me 
to  act  as  I  have  done ;  I  acknowledge  that.  You 
have  given  me  a  lesson  which  will  serve  for  the 
future.  Now  go !  " 

"  For  ever,  then  ?  " 

"  I  hope  so." 


152  Eve  Triumphant 

This  answer,  which  was  so  unfeminine, 
brought  the  Count  suddenly  to  his  senses,  and, 
as  though  by  miracle,  his  ardour  cooled  down 
at  once. 

"  I  was  mistaken  in  you,"  he  said,  drawing 
himself  up  proudly.  "  Farewell ! "  and  then 
without  turning  round  again,  he  left  the  room 
in  a  deliberate  way. 

Helen  waited  a  few  seconds,  and  then,  hurry- 
ing across  to  the  door,  she  pushed  the  bolt  across, 
t  which  had  been  perfidiously  drawn  back. 

"  What  an  adventure ! "  she  murmured,  still 
trembling  all  over  with  the  shock.  Count  Sant' 
Anna  in  her  room  at  half-past  eleven  at  night! 
Fancy  daring  such  a  thing !  And  he  had  taken 
those  rooms  next  hers,  hoping  to  entice  her 
there ! 

Mrs.  Ronald  blushed  as  she  remembered  that 
she  had  been  tempted  to  follow  him  into  that 
salon  all  filled  with  flowers.  Yes,  she  had  been 
tempted — but  she  had  resisted.  At  that  thought 
her  vanity  was  exultant,  and  she  gave  a  low 
laugh  of  satisfaction.  Ah,  it  was  not  so  easy 
to  get  the  better  of  an  American  woman!  A 
Frenchwoman  in  her  place  would  have  been  ir- 
revocably lost.  What  a  horrible  fascination! 
She  could  see  the  young  man  now  as  he  had 
looked,  his  knee  bent  before  her,  and  his  face 
transfigured  with  passion. 

Mr.  Ronald's  words  came  back  to  her  mem- 
ory. "Science  is  right,"  she  said  to  herself; 


The  Untasted  Fruit  153 

"  love  is  a  fluid,  a  kind  of  magnetism,  a  force 
which  attracts  human  beings  to  each  other." 
Just  for  a  moment  she  had  felt  it;  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  room  had  seemed  quite  different, 
and  she  had  had  just  a  second  of  exquisite  joy, 
such  as  she  had  never  experienced — the  sensa- 
tion of  something  extraordinarily  radiant.  Ah ! 
she  had  understood  what  Sant'  Anna  had  called 
the  divine;  it  was  love  brought  to  its  highest 
degree  of  intensity  for  a  brief  moment.  At  that 
degree  it  does  not  last;  it  could  not  last  with 
our  imperfect  faculties. 

She  saw  this  with  all  the  lucidity  Of  her  clear 
intellect,  and  her  lip  took  a  disdainful  curve. 
Thank  heaven !  she  had  a  force  within  her  which 
was  stronger  than  the  temptation  to  forbidden 
and  fleeting  happiness!  She  had  received  a  les- 
son ;  but  she  had  also  given  one ! 

With  this  consoling  thought  Mrs.  Ronald  got 
up,  and  in  a  slow,  absent-minded  way  finished 
undressing.  A  vague  uneasiness  kept  her  wide 
awake,  and  she  lay  listening  for  a  long  while 
until,  at  last,  feeling  quite  reassured,  she  fell 
asleep  with  an  agreeable  sensation  of  triumph 
and  of  unscathed  honour. 

The  following  morning  Helen  went  down-stairs 
about  ten  o'clock,  and  installed  herself  in  a 
corner  of  the  garden  to  read  her  New  York 
Herald.  It  was  impossible,  though,  to  fix  her 
attention  on  politics  or  on  society  news.  She 
was  expecting  to  see  the  Count  appear  every 


154  Eve  Triumphant 

minute.  What  attitude  would  he  take?  Would 
he  look  vexed  or  ashamed?  As  for  herself,  she 
would  be  very  dignified  and  very  cold.  At  the 
end  of  an  hour,  instead  of  the  young  Roman, 
she  saw  the  Vergas  coming,  and  the  Marquis 
had  an  open  letter  in  his  hand. 

"  Mrs.  Konald,"  he  said,  with  a  sly  smile,  "  you 
have  lost  your  admirer.  Sant'  Anna  had  a  tele- 
gram at  midnight  saying  that  his  sister  is  not 
coming  here,  and  that  his  mother  is  dangerously 
ill.  He  started  this  morning  by  the  first  train, 
and  he  asks  me  to  give  you  his  kind  regards, 
and  to  tell'you  how  sorry  he  is  to  leave." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Helen,  in  the  most  indifferent 
tone  she  could  assume. 

The  Marquis  did  not  add  that  enclosed  in  his 
friend's  letter  was  a  cheque  for  twenty  pounds 
— the  gallant  avowal  of  his  defeat. 

"  Well,  for  my  part,  I  do  not  believe  in  his 
mother's  illness,"  declared  the  Marquise  Verga. 
"  It  is  simply  Donna  Vittoria  who  has  called 
him  back." 

"  Who  is  Donna  Vittoria?  " 

"  A  friend  of  Lelo's — his  first  love,  a  woman 
twelve  or  fifteen  years  older  than  he  is,  and  who 
has  great  influence  over  him ;  a  woman,  too,  who 
knows  how  to  hold  on — una  Strega,  as  the  gen- 
tlemen would  say.  Italians  are  not  faithful,  but 
they  are  very  constant." 

"  Brava,  Lili!"  exclaimed  the  Marquis,  laugh- 
ing. "  Your  definition  is  absolutely  right,  and 


The  Untasted  Fruit  155 

does  us  great  honour.  Constancy  is  a  virtue, 
whilst  fidelity  is  merely  the  absence  of  all  fancy 
and  imagination." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Helen?"  said  the  Mar- 
quise. "  Is  n't  it  comforting?  " 

Helen  smiled  in  a  vague  sort  of  way,  for  she 
had  not  heard. 

He  had  gone!  Sant'  Anna  had  gone!  She 
could  not  believe  it,  and  fancied  it  must  be  a 
feigned  departure.  In  spite  of  herself,  she  kept 
expecting  to  see  him  for  the  next  few  days.  She 
tried  to  persuade  herself  that  she  was  glad  to 
be  rid  of  him,  but  Ouchy  seemed  much  less  pleas- 
ant now.  Why  had  he  spoilt  the  last  days  of 
a  season  which  had  been  perfect,  and  which 
would  have  been  such  a  pleasant  memory  for 
them  both?  She  was  annoyed  with  him  in  a 
childish  way  for  having  deprived  her  of  his  ad- 
miration and  his  homage,  and  of  having  put  an 
end,  in  so  brutal  a  way,  to  the  flirtation  which 
had  amused  her.  Two  days  later,  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Carroll  arrived  from  Carlsbad. 

"  I  shall  at  last  make  the  acquaintance  of  this 
famous  Count  Sant'  Anna,"  said  Dora,  on  en- 
tering her  bedroom. 

Helen  gave  a  nervous  laugh. 

"  Count  Sant'  Anna !  "  she  said.  "  Why,  he 
left  here  the  day  before  yesterday ! " 

"  Oh,  that 's  too  bad !  "  exclaimed  the  young 
girl,  her  face  clouding  over.  "  Left  here !  Oh, 
how  disappointing! " 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  UNANSWERED   LETTER 

IN  October  the  little  coterie  was  obliged  to 
break  up,  and  every  one  separated,  promis- 
ing to  meet  again  in  Home  at  the  beginning  of 
January.  The  Vergas  returned  to  Italy,  and 
the  four  Americans  to  Paris,  where  they  took 
up  their  abode  at  the  Hdtel  Castiglione,  which 
had  been  recommended  to  them  by  the  Marquise 
d'Anguilhon. 

Mrs.  Ronald's  letter  to  her  husband,  the  letter 
which  was  destined  to  separate  them  for  the 
time  being,  was  calculated  to  wound  him  to  the 
quick.  Without  being  aware  of  it,  Helen  had 
written  in  such  a  way  that  every  word  would 
irritate  him,  make  him  obstinate,  and  bring  on 
one  of  those  sulky  fits  which  are  often  singularly 
persistent  when  indulged  in  by  good-natured 
men.  He  did  not  answer  his  wife's  letter,  and 
this  silence  astonished  Helen  at  first,  and  then 
caused  her  a  mingled  feeling  of  grief  and  anger. 
She  fancied  that  her  husband  was  acting  under 
the  influence  of  his  mother  and  sister,  and  this 
conviction  made  her  unjust  and  absolutely  un- 
reasonable. It  was  all  in  vain  that  Miss  Beau- 

156 


The  Unanswered  Letter          157 

champ  represented  to  her  that  it  was  too  much 
to  want  a  man  like  Mr.  Ronald  to  leave  his  work 
in  order  to  come  and  live  among  worldly  men 
and  women,  with  whom  he  had  nothing  in  com- 
mon, and  who  would  bore  him  to  death.  Helen 
declared  that  her  husband  ought  to  make  this 
sacrifice  for  her  sake.  Then,  too,  he  needed  rest 
and  a  change,  and  she  would  not  allow  him  to 
be  so  absorbed  in  science,  as  she  had  married  a 
man,  and  not  chemistry.  When,  in  support  of 
her  own  will  or  desire,  a  woman  can  manage  to 
bring  forward  a  semblance  of  logic,  there  is  no 
way  of  dissuading  her,  and  Mrs.  Ronald  suc- 
ceeded not  only  in  persuading  herself,  but  in 
convincing  her  aunt,  who,  nevertheless,  had 
plenty  of  common  sense,  that  she  was  in  the 
right.  In  spite  of  herself,  every  Monday  and 
Thursday  she  anxiously  awaited  the  letters,  and 
when,  after  glancing  through  her  voluminous 
correspondence,  she  found  there  was  nothing 
from  her  husband,  she  could  not  help  feeling  a 
pang  of  grief,  which  at  the  same  time  increased 
her  anger.  Charley  Beauchamp  blamed  her  un- 
reservedly, and  in  all  his  letters  tried  to  per- 
suade her  to  return,  until,  on  seeing  that  nothing 
he  could  say  had  any  effect,  he  remained  silent 
on  the  subject. 

On  announcing  to  Jack  Ascott  that  her  mother 
would  not  be  able  to  spend  the  winter  in  America, 
and  that  they  would  not  return  to  New  York 
until  the  end  of  the  season,  Miss  Carroll  had 


158  Eve  Triumphant 

invited  him  to  join  them  at  Rome,  and  in  such 
terms  that  the  poor  fellow  was  once  more  dis- 
armed. Dora  was,  in  fact,  beginning  to  wish 
for  the  presence  of  her  long-suffering  fiance,  and 
from  time  to  time  she  would  say,  "  I  do  miss 
Jack !  "  All  this  did  not  prevent  the  two  Ameri- 
can women  from  enjoying  themselves,  and  Willie 
Grey  did  his  best  to  replace  Charley  Beauchamp. 
He  took  them  to  the  theatre  and  escorted  them 
on  their  cycling  expeditions,  and  they  were  very 
glad  to  have  him.  Like  most  of  their  country- 
women, they  were  always  ready  to  proclaim  their 
independence  as  regards  man,  but  at  the  same 
time  they  did  not  care  to  be  without  a  cavalier. 

The  scene  which  had  taken  place  at  Ouchy 
was  not  one  which  a  woman  could  easily  forge.t, 
even  though  she  might  be  an  American  and  a 
woman  of  intellect.  Mrs.  Ronald  thought  of  her 
adventure  with  all  the  more  pleasure  from  the 
fact  that  hers  had  been  the  beau  role!  She 
wanted  to  see  the  young  Roman  again,  so  that 
she  might  triumph  a  second  time.  Would  he 
bear  her  any  ill-will?  In  any  case,  he  would 
certainly  never  begin  making  love  to  her  again; 
she  could  be  quite  easy  on  that  score.  In  spite 
of  herself,  and  without  being  aware  of  it,  thought 
stamped  again  on  her  brain  the  words  he  had 
spoken,  and  the  impressions  she  had  received. 
She  wondered  whether  the  Count  Sant'  Anna  had 
really  been  in  love  with  her,  or  whether  it  had 
merely  been  a  violent  fancy.  His  face,  instead 


The  Unanswered  Letter          159 

of  fading  from  her  memory,  was  more  and  more 
present  with  her,  and  the  sound  of  his  musical 
voice  seemed  to  get  more  distinct.  She  would 
often  give  herself  up  to  the  remembrance  of  that 
exquisite  temptation,  which  she  thought  was 
without  danger  now,  and  which  always  gave  her 
a  thrill  of  retrospective  fear.  And  all  this  hidden 
working  of  her  mind  had  produced  on  her  face 
a  slight  change,  almost  imperceptible,  and 
which  only  an  interested  observer  would  have 
remarked. 

Although  Helen  had  not  confided  in  her, 
Miss  Carroll  had  guessed  instinctively  that  she 
had  had  a  slight  flirtation  with  the  Italian. 
She  was  always  questioning  Helen  about  him, 
and  rejoicing  openly  at  the  idea  that  she,  in 
her  turn,  would  be  able  to  make  his  acquaint- 
ance. 

"  Fortunately,  Jack  will  be  there  to  look  after 
you,"  said  Mrs.  Ronald  one  day. 

"  If  Jack  is  disagreeable,  I  shall  send  him  to 
Jericho,"  answered  the  young  girl  briskly. 

"  Anyhow,  I  would  advise  you  not  to  flirt  with 
the  Count  Sant'  Anna." 

"  Why  not?  " 

"  Because  foreigners  are  rather  dangerous  at 
that  game." 

"  Ah !  You  have  tried  the  experiment,  then?  " 
asked  Dora,  looking  straight  at  Helen ;  and  then, 
on  seeing  the  telltale  colour  coming  into  her 
face,  she  added :  "  Ah,  I  know  now !  I  fancy 


i6o  Eve  Triumphant 

you  have  given  this  fine  Count  a  lesson.  If  he 
should  deserve  one  from  me,  too,  he  shall  have 
it,  so  that  he  will  not  fail  to  have  a  good  opinion 
of  American  women." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CHEISTMAS    AT   THE   CHATEAU 

IN  the  early  part  of  December,  the  Marquise 
d'Anguilhon,  with  her  mother,  Mrs.  Villars, 
came  to  Paris  to  buy  the  hundreds  of  articles 
necessary  for  the  gigantic  Christmas  Tree  to 
which  she  invited  the  children  of  Blonay  every 
year. 

She  stayed  at  the  Hdtel  Castiglione,  as  she 
frequently  did,  instead  of  opening  her  Paris 
house.  She  liked  going  back  to  the  rooms  in 
which  she  had  lived  when  a  girl,  and  from  which 
she  had  been  married.  The  American  woman, 
although  not  sentimental,  is  devoted  to  her 
souvenirs.  Annie  was  delighted  to  see  her 
friends  again,  and  she  invited  them  to  spend 
the  Christmas  week  at  Blonay,  to  the  great  joy 
of  Miss  Carroll. 

"  And  to  think  that  we  should  have  missed 
that  if  we  had  gone  back  to  America ! "  she  said. 
"  How  lucky  we  are !  " 

On  the  20th  of  December,  Helen  and  Dora, 
with  Miss  Beauchamp  and  Mrs.  Carroll,  set  out 
for  the  Bourbonnais.  At  the  sight  of  the  chateau 
of  Blonay,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  castles  in 

"  161 


162  Eve  Triumphant 

France,  they  were  enthusiastic  in  their  admira- 
tion, and  were  amazed  and  stupefied  to  see  how 
perfectly  at  home  Annie  was  in  this  stately 
abode.  The  Marquise  d'Anguilhon  had  pre- 
sented her  husband  with  a  second  son,  and  her 
sweet  face  beamed  with  happiness  and  content. 
She  showed  her  friends,  with  great  pride,  the 
improvements  she  had  introduced  around  her 
home,  the  red-brick  cottages  surrounded  with 
shrubs  that  would  flower  in  the  spring,  and  the 
assembly-room,  with  its  library  and  billiard- 
table,  where  the  workmen  and  peasants  could 
meet  in  the  evenings  and  on  holidays.  Instead 
of  joining  in  the  praises  of  Helen  and  Dora, 
Aunt  Sophie  drew  in  her  lips  and  remained 
silent ;  but  as  she  always  had  great  difficulty  in 
keeping  her  thoughts  to  herself,  she  could  not 
resist  saying  to  Annie: 

"  It  is  very  fine,  all  this,  but  you  know  I  am 
patriotic  before  all  things,  and  I  cannot  help 
regretting  that  your  energy  and  benevolence " 
—  (she  had  the  tact  not  to  add  "  your  money  ") 
— "  should  be  lost  to  your  own  country." 

The  young  hostess  smiled. 

"  Oh,  well,"  she  said,  "  if  you  are  such  a 
patriot,  you  ought  to  be  delighted  about  my 
marriage  with  Monsieur  d'Anguilhon." 

"  Why?  " 

"  Because  my  husband's  great-great-uncle  died 
for  the  independence  of  America.  He  was  the 
intimate  friend  of  Lafayette,  and  he  sailed  out 


Christmas  at  the  Chateau         163 

with  him  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of  York- 
town.  It  was  at  his  command  that  the  French 
grenadiers  and  cavalry  made  the  attack,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  first  to  be  killed." 

"  Ah,  that  is  curious !  "  said  Miss  Beauchamp, 
slightly  embarrassed. 

"  I  discovered  all  this  in  the  family  archives, 
for  Jacques  did  not  know  about  it.  It  seemed 
to  me  then  as  though  I  had  been  sent  by  Provi- 
dence to  pay  this  debt  for  my  country." 

"  And  you  don't  seem  vexed  to  do  it,  either," 
said  Dora,  smiling. 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  am  very  happy,"  an- 
swered Annie,  with  an  accent  wrhich  came 
straight  from  her  heart. 

Amongst  the  d'Anguilhons'  guests  were  the 
Viscount  de  Nozay  and  M.  de  Limeray.  The 
"  Prince "  was  particularly  delighted  to  meet 
once  more,  and  as  a  guest  in  the  same  house, 
the  American  woman  whose  beauty  alone  was  a 
pleasure  to  him,  and  who  interested  him  in  her 
quality  of  a  feminine  novelty.  She  wras  the  first 
specimen  of  the  Intellectual  Woman  he  had  come 
across.  Like  Sant'  Anna,  he  was  surprised  at 
the  insignificant  part  love  and  sentiment  played 
in  Mrs.  Ronald's  life.  Although  it  did  not  ac- 
tually concern  him,  he  felt  that  it  was  a  sort  of 
insult  to  his  sex.  She  was  absolutely  sincere, 
too.  In  spite  of  her  exquisite  colouring  and  her 
brilliant  complexion,  her  face  was  cold  and 
even  hard.  It  wanted  the  soft,  warm,  living 


1 64  Eve  Triumphant 

light  which  is  undefinable,  and  which  comes 
from  the  soul.  The  Count  regretted  this  as  an 
artist  and  as  a  man.  When  he  looked  at  this 
woman,  he  would  often  say,  as  of  some  unfinished 
masterpiece :  "  What  a  pity !  what  a  pity !  " 
He  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  she  had 
some  trouble  or  anxiety,  for  she  was  absent- 
minded  sometimes.  Her  gaiety  did  not  seem 
as  spontaneous,  nor  her  mind  as  free,  as  when 
he  had  first  met  her.  One  day,  when  she  was 
talking  to  M.  de  Limeray  of  the  pleasure  she 
was  expecting  from  her  stay  in  Rome,  she  went 
so  far  as  to  tell  him  of  the  grievance  she  had 
against  her  husband.  The  Count  gazed  at  her 
in  astonishment. 

"  And  in  all  good  faith,  do  you  really  think 
that  Mr.  Ronald  is  in  the  wrong?  "  he  asked. 

"  In  the  best  faith  in  the  world." 

"  Well,  excuse  my  frankness,  but  it  seems  to 
me  that  you  are  quite  in  the  wrong,  and  that 
you  are  not  fulfilling  your  duty." 

"  Why?  If  my  husband  were  ill  or  needed  me, 
I  would  start  back  this  very  night,  and  if  there 
were  any  serious  reason  to  prevent  his  leaving 
America  I  would  go  to  him ;  but  there  is  nothing, 
and  so  I  consider  myself  perfectly  free  to  stay 
a  few  months  longer  in  Europe." 

"  And  what  about  conjugal  obedience?  " 

Mrs.  Ronald  broke  into  a  merry  peal  of 
laughter. 

"Conjugal  obedience!    That's  all  very  well 


Christmas  at  the  Chateau         165 

for  the  harem,  and  for  tent  people.  We  are  the 
equals  of  our  husbands.  We  can  buy,  sell,  and 
dispose  of  our  fortune  without  their  consent." 

"  Then,  when  you  marry,  you  do  not  promise 
obedience  as  well  as  love  and  fidelity?  " 

"  Oh,  the  old  vow  still  exists  in  our  Marriage 
Service,  because  it  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, but  many  clergymen  leave  it  out,  as  they 
know  we  would  not  keep  it.  Some  girls  take 
the  precaution  to  stipulate  that  it  shall  be 
omitted.  It  nearly  caused  the  engagement  of 
one  of  my  friends  to  be  broken  off,  but  her 
lover  gave  in  at  the  last — like  all  our  men." 

"  What  a  good  tale ! "  said  M.  de  Limeray, 
laughing. 

"  A  tale !     It  is  pure  and  simple  truth." 

"  You  are  not  joking?  " 

"Not  at  all." 

"  Well,  then,  with  you,  women  have  abolished 
the  vow  of  obedience?  " 

"  Absolutely !  Between  equals  there  can  be 
no  question  of  submission." 

"  Quite  true !  quite  true ! "  said  M.  de  Lime- 
ray,  in  a  mocking  tone.  "  I  was  not  aware  that 
you  had  made  such  progress.  I  am  not  sur- 
prised, now,  that  we  see  so  many  American 
women  alone  in  Europe!  I  fancy,  though,  that 
Madame  Verga  was  wrong  in  putting  it  into 
your  head  to  spend  the  winter  in  Rome." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Ronald  will  come  to  me  in  the  end ! 
He  adores  me." 


1 66  Eve  Triumphant 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that,"  said  the 
"  Prince "  gallantly,  looking  at  Helen  admir- 
ingly. 

The  Marquise  d'Anguilhon  was  delighted  at 
being  able  to  give  her  friends  this  opportunity 
of  seeing  a  Christmas  in  the  Old  World;  as  in 
the  provinces,  and  especially  in  the  country,  the 
old  traditions  are  kept  up  with  all  their  poetry 
and  religion.  Mrs.  Ronald  and  Miss  Carroll 
helped  her  to  prepare  the  Christmas  Tree,  to 
unpack  the  boxes  which  had  arrived  from  Paris, 
and  to  decorate  the  chateau  with  holly  and 
mistletoe.  They  worked  with  the  most  conta- 
gious liveliness,  and  Dora,  giddy  with  nonsense, 
tried  the  trumpets  and  drums,  played  with  the 
dolls,  pulled  the  strings  and  wires  of  all  the 
toys,  exclaiming  every  minute,  "  Oh,  what  fun !  " 
so  that  on  seeing  her  no  one  would  have  imagined 
that  she  was  one  of  the  society  girls  of  New 
York.  The  American  woman  has  this  good 
quality — she  is  never  blasee;  and,  what  is  better, 
she  never  pretends  to  be. 

On  Christmas  Eve,  the  host  and  hostess  of  the 
chateau,  with  their  guests,  escorted  by  the  foot- 
men with  torches,  descended  the  hill  to  the  vil- 
lage church.  There  was  no  moon,  but  it  was  a 
glorious  starlight  night.  Dark  figures  could  be 
seen  moving  along  all  the  paths  in  the  valley. 
A  procession  of  human  beings,  actuated  by  the 
same  invisible  force  which  guided  the  Magi, 
was  being  led  to  the  same  adoration. 


Christmas  at  the  Chateau         167 

The  old  Roman  church  of  Blonay  was  par- 
ticularly beautiful  that  evening.  The  nave  was 
dark,  but  the  chancel,  all  lighted  up,  seemed  to 
form  a  brilliant  background  to  the  manger, 
where  a  beautiful  Christ-child  stretched  out  his 
arms  to  the  humble  crowd  of  believers.  The 
priest,  inspired  by  the  solemnity,  celebrated  the 
mass  with  pathetic  fervour.  In  his  beautiful, 
deep  voice,  which  seemed  to  have  been  specially 
given  him  for  the  liturgy,  he  intoned  the  Gloria 
and  the  Credo.  The  pupils  of  the  nuns  sang 
the  old  hymns  with  their  quaint  words,  and  an 
amateur  sang,  at  the  close,  Adam's  triumphant 
Christmas  Hymn.  This  ceremony,  touching  in 
its  simplicity,  affected  Mrs.  Ronald  as  nothing 
had  ever  done,  and  made  her  think  of  the  Con- 
vent of  the  Assumption.  It  seemed  to  her  all 
at  once  as  though  since  leaving  there  she  had 
travelled  a  long  way,  and  was  now  quite  dif- 
ferent. As  to  Dora,  Miss  Beauchamp,  and  Mrs. 
Carroll,  this  midnight  mass  astonished  them  by 
its  strangeness;  they  watched  everything,  and 
would  willingly  have  taken  the  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic  for  the  sake  of  being  present,  but 
they  were  not  otherwise  impressed  by  it.  All 
the  younger  members  of  the  party  preferred 
walking  back  to  the  chateau,  and  they  arrived 
there  with  an  excellent  appetite  for  the  Christ- 
mas Eve  supper.  The  dining-room  was  dec- 
orated with  holly  and  mistletoe,  and  the  sombre 
green  leaves  harmonised  well  with  the  old  oak. 


1 68  Eve  Triumphant 

The  Christmas  log  was  burning  in  the  immense 
fireplace,  sending  its  bright  light  into  the  dif- 
ferent corners,  and  mingling  its  warm  flame  with 
the  glitter  of  the  silver  and  glass.  The  meal 
was  most  gay,  and  there  was  an  expression  of 
peaceful  joy  on  all  faces.  The  American  women, 
Annie's  mother  included,  were  quite  astonished 
at  finding  themselves  amongst  these  foreign  and 
aristocratic  surroundings,  and  still  more  aston- 
ished at  feeling  so  perfectly  at  ease.  The  Mar- 
quis d'Anguilhon  looked  round  several  times, 
and  then  said: 

"After  all,  there  is  nothing  so  good  as  the 
reveillon,  preceded  by  the  midnight  mass,  at 
home  among  one's  own  people.  The  reveillons 
at  a  restaurant  are  stupid,  and  make  you  feel 
sad." 

"  It  has  taken  you  all  this  time  to  find  that 
out?  "  said  the  Count  de  Froissy  to  his  nephew. 

"  No,  but  I  never  felt  it  so  thoroughly  as 
to-night,"  answered  Jacques,  with  a  fond  look 
at  his  mother  and  wife. 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  our  old-fashioned 
customs,  Mrs.  Ronald?  "  asked  M.  de  Limeray. 

"  I  think  there  is  a  great  charm  about  them. 
I  quite  see  that  there  are  elements  in  European 
life  which  do  not  exist  with  us,  and  that  is  just 
what  attracts  and  fascinates  us.  All  my  other 
Christmases  have  left  me  no  souvenir,  but  I 
am  sure  that  I  shall  never  forget  this  one,"  said 
Helen  gently. 


Christmas  at  the  Chateau         169 

The  following  afternoon,  Annie  and  her 
mother-in-law  entertained  the  Blonay  children. 
There  was  a  ball  for  their  parents  and  for  the 
servants  of  the  chateau,  which  was  opened  by 
Jacques  and  his  wife.  Dora  was  in  a  perfect 
state  of  delight.  She  felt  as  though  she  were 
living  in  a  book. 

"  How  interesting  it  all  is! "  she  said  to  Mrs. 
Ronald ;  and  then,  lowering  her  voice :  "  It  was 
lucky  for  Jack  that  I  did  not  come  to  Blonay 
earlier." 

The  four  American  women  took  away  with 
them  the  most  agreeable  impression  of  their 
visit.  They  were  scarcely  in  the  train  when 
Helen  exclaimed: 

"  Dody,  you  deserve  a  good  mark !  You  have 
behaved  perfectly.  I  should  never  have  believed 
you  capable  of  conducting  yourself  so  properly." 

"  Thank  you !  " 

"  I  believe  it  was  the  Dowager  Marchioness 
who  impressed  you." 

"  That 's  true !  I  would  not  for  anything  in 
the  world  have  shocked  that  grande  dame,  who 
is  so  simple  and  so  kind.  Besides,  I  felt  at 
once  that  among  these  people  it  was  necessary 
to  put  a  damper  on  our  modernity,  so  that  we 
should  not  be  out  of  harmony  with  our  surround- 
ings. And,  by  the  bye,  I  was  very  proud  of 
Annie.  Upon  my  word,  I  believe  that  an  Ameri- 
can woman,  well  born  and  well  brought  up,  can 
rise  to  the  height  of  any  situation.  If  they  want 


170  Eve  Triumphant 

a  queen  in  any  part  of  Europe,  they  have  only 
to  come  to  us  for  one." 

"  Well,  you  are  not  modest  by  any  means ! " 
said  Mrs.  Ronald,  smiling. 


O 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  DIFFERENT  LELO 

N  the  2d  of  January,  Mrs.  Ronald  and  her 
companions  started  for  Rome.  They  had 
engaged  one  of  those  Italian  couriers  who  are 
the  providence  of  American  women  travelling 
alone,  and  who  fulfil  their  duties  with  all  the 
ease  and  tact  of  their  race,  and  often  with  a 
sort  of  chivalrous  devotion.  Thanks  to  Gio- 
vanni, they  reached  the  end  of  their  journey  in 
royal  comfort,  and  found,  all  ready  prepared  for 
them  at  the  Hdtel  du  Quirinal,  a  handsome  suite 
of  rooms  with  a  southern  exposure,  facing  the 
garden,  and  consisting  of  four  bedrooms,  a  din- 
ing-room, and  salon.  As  they  were  to  arrive  by 
the  first  train  in  the  morning,  they  had  not  writ- 
ten to  the  Vergas;  but  between  three  and  four 
o'clock  that  same  day  Helen  and  Dora,  impa- 
tient to  see  them  again,  drove  to  their  house. 
For  the  sake  of  economy,  they  had  let  their 
palace  and  taken  a  villa  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Macao,  and  were  now  getting  settled  in 
their  new  quarters.  The  Vergas  were  by  no 
means  ceremonious,  so  that  the  footman  intro- 
duced the  visitors  at  once  into  the  large  draw- 

171 


172  Eve  Triumphant 

ing-room,  where  his  master  and  mistress  were 
to  be  found.  They  stopped  a  second  in  the 
doorway,  somewhat  taken  aback.  Furniture  and 
ornaments  were  scattered  about  pell-mell.  Mon- 
sieur Verga  and  two  distinguished-looking  men 
were  climbing  up  ladders  and  holding  pictures 
against  the  walls,  all  hung  with  brocaded  silk; 
while  the  Marquise,  with  her  hat  on,  was  stand- 
ing in  the  middle  of  the  room,  judging  the  effect. 
On  hearing  her  countrywomen  announced,  she 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  delight ;  the  three  men 
sprang  lightly  to  the  ground,  and  the  Marquis 
stepped  forward  to  welcome  the  Americans,  and 
then  introduced  his  friends: 

"  Prince  Viviani — Duke  Marsano." 

At  the  sound  of  these  titles,  Mrs.  Ronald  and 
Miss  Carroll  were  amazed;  and  as  soon  as  they 
were  alone  with  the  Marquise,  Dora  asked  at 
once  if  it  had  been  a  live  prince  and  a  live  duke 
she  had  just  seen. 

"  Why,  certainly,  and  with  genealogies  a  mile 
long,  but  that  does  not  prevent  them  from  being 
very  simple  and  natural.  It  amuses  them  to 
help  us  in  getting  our  house  straight.  Italians 
have  no  false  pride,  as  you  will  see." 

After  telling  each  other  all  the  Parisian  and 
American  news,  Marquise  Verga  insisted  on  tak- 
ing her  friends  out  for  a  drive.  The  weather 
was  so  mild  that  they  were  able  to  go  in  an 
open  carriage,  and  they  drove  slowly  across  the 
Corso. 


A  Different  Lelo  173 

"  Dear  old  Rome !  "  said  Helen,  looking  round 
her  with  a  softened  expression.  "  One  is  al- 
ways glad  to  see  it  again.  I  came  here  with 
Henry  soon  after  we  were  married,  and  I  have 
always  remembered  everything  about  it.  I  be- 
lieve I  should  know  all  the  old  streets  again, 
and  all  the  palaces." 

"  Oh,  well,  I  have  not  been  here  for  eight 
years,"  said  Dora,  "  but  my  legs  still  remember 
the  endless  galleries  of  the  Vatican,  through 
which  I  was  dragged.  I  often  cried,  on  getting 
back  to  the  hotel,  with  nervousness  and  fatigue. 
I  simply  hated  all  the  statues,  except  the  Apollo 
of  Belvedere,  that  beautiful  winged  figure — 

"  Winged — Apollo !  Oh,  Dody,  what  mytho- 
logy !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ronald.  "  You  are  mix- 
ing him  with  Mercury." 

"  Not  at  all !  I  know,  of  course,  that  he  has 
no  wings  on  his  heels,  but  he  gave  me  the  im- 
pression of  a  being  who  could  walk  on  air  or 
on  water,  a  true  god-man.  I  have  never  for- 
gotten him.  A  propos,  Madame  Verga,"  added 
the  young  girl,  "  if  you  see  Count  Sant'  Anna, 
tell  me  which  he  is." 

The  Marquise  laughed. 

"Ah!  Count  Sant'  Anna  a  propos  of  the 
Apollo!  He  would  feel  highly  flattered  if  he 
heard  that." 

Miss  Carroll  coloured  up,  and  then  said 
hastily : 

"  He  would  be  wrong,  then,  for  with  me  ideas 


174  Eve  Triumphant 

come  one  after  the  other,  without  any  connec- 
tion; and  as  I  do  not  know  him,  I  could  not 
make  any  comparison." 

"  That  is  true.  Besides,  he  is  very  handsome, 
is  he  not,  Helen?" 

"  Very  handsome,"  answered  Helen,  in  an  in- 
different tone. 

"  You  will  see  him  soon ;  he  is  sure  to  be  at 
the  Pincio." 

These  words  caused  Mrs.  Ronald  a  sudden 
agitation.  She  realised  all  at  once  how  embar- 
rassing the  souvenir  of  the  scene  at  Ouchy  would 
be,  and  she  was  conscious  at  the  same  time  that 
she  ought  not  to  have  come  to  Rome  so  soon. 
It  had  rained  the  night  before,  and  Madame 
Verga,  fearing  that  the  Villa  Borghese  would 
be  too  damp,  told  the  coachman  to  drive  to  the 
Pincio.  The  carriage  went  slowly  up  the  sunny 
slope  which  leads  to  the  terrace,  where  the  so- 
ciety people  assemble  to  exchange  greetings  and 
commonplace  conversation,  and  where  artists  go 
to  get  impregnated  with  the  divine  melancholy 
of  the  sunset  of  Rome.  The  three  American 
women  had  been  there  but  a  few  minutes,  when 
the  Marquise  exclaimed: 

"  Ah,  there  is  Sant'  Anna !  " 

Dora  had  just  enough  self-control  not  to  look 
round.  Lelo,  on  recognising  Madame  Verga,  left 
the  friends  with  whom  he  was  talking  and  ad- 
vanced towards  the  carriage.  At  the  sight  of 
Helen  he  gave  a  slight  start  of  surprise,  and 


A  Different  Lelo  175 

then,  without  any  embarrassment  or  hesitation, 
he  held  out  his  hand  to  her. 

"  Benvenuta! "  he  said  in  Italian,  in  the  most 
natural  tone.  "  I  am  delighted  to  see  you 
again ! " 

The  Marquise  introduced  him  to  Dora,  and 
he  bowed  low,  and  then  returned  to  Mrs.  Ronald. 

"  You  have  been  so  long  in  coming,"  he  said, 
"  we  feared  you  had  changed  your  plans." 

"  We  wanted  to  wait  until  your  bad  season 
was  over." 

"  You  were  very  wise,"  answered  Sant'  Anna. 
"  We  can  now  give  you  as  much  sun  as  you 
want,"  and,  putting  his  hand  in  a  familiar  way 
on  the  carriage,  he  asked  Mrs.  Ronald  after  her 
aunt  and  brother,  and  even  her  husband. 

He  then  talked  of  Paris,  and  of  what  was 
going  on  at  the  theatres,  glancing  now  and  then 
curiously  at  Miss  Carroll,  as  though  she  inter- 
ested him.  He  went  on  chatting  gaily  for  a 
few  minutes.  There  was  no  light  now  in  his 
eyes,  though,  no  quivering  of  the  lips,  and  his 
voice  was  perfectly  calm.  There  was  not  a  sign 
of  the  passion  which  had  made  his  face  so 
expressive  and  so  eloquent.  Stupefied  witli 
astonishment,  Helen  could  scarcely  answer  his 
questions.  Was  this  the  man  who  had  made  her 
such  fervent  declarations,  and  who  had  come 
into  her  room  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night?  When 
had  she  been  dreaming — then  or  now?  As  she 
looked  at  him  and  listened  to  his  words,  she 


176  Eve  Triumphant 

felt  a  strange  sensation  of  an  inward  chill.  It 
seemed  to  her  that  everything  around  her  had 
turned  grey  and  sad-looking.  Influenced  by 
these  extraordinary  .impressions,  the  expression 
of  her  face  changed  slightly  and  she  shivered. 
The  Marquise  noticed  this. 

"  The  sun  is  setting,"  she  said ;  "  this  is  the 
dangerous  time  for  newcomers." 

Sant'  Anna  asked  Mrs.  Ronald's  permission 
to  call  upon  her,  and  offered  his  services  with 
all  the  courtesy  of  a  man  of  the  world ;  and  then, 
after  taking  leave  of  the  other  ladies,  he  stepped 
back  and  bowed  again. 

"  He  is  simply  superb !  "  declared  Miss  Carroll, 
as  soon  as  the  horse  had  turned. 

"  Well,  he  is  eligible,"  said  Madame  Verga, 
smiling,  "  and  I  fancy  he  would  willingly  marry 
an  American " 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  don't  put  that  into  her 
head ! "  interrupted  Helen  anxiously.  "  She 
would  be  capable  of  giving  Jack  up." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  young  girl  drily. 

As  we  have  seen,  Lelo  had  left  Mrs.  Ronald's 
room  on  the  eventful  night  completely  cured. 
The  Italian,  who  is  a  veritable  pagan  in  his 
conception  of  love,  has  an  instinctive  repugnance 
for  a  cold-natured  wroman.  At  Ouchy,  in  that 
room  all  flooded  with  light,  alone  with  a  man 
who  was  desperately  in  love  with  her,  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald had  remained  mistress  of  herself.  This  had 
seemed  perfectly  monstrous  to  Sant'  Anna,  and 


A  Different  Lelo  177 

his  passion  had  melted  away  on  the  spot.  He 
had  left  her  without  any  regret  even,  but  with 
the  impression,  as  new  to  him  as  it  was  dis- 
agreeable, of  having  met  with  a  check.  We 
affect  a  contempt  for  wounded  vanity,  but  we 
are  wrong,  for  such  wounds  are  the  most  pain- 
ful of  all,  and  take  the  longest  time  to  heal. 
By  way  of  diversion,  Lelo  had  stopped  on  his 
way  at  Aix-les-Bains,  had  gambled  desperately, 
and  lost  a  large  sum  of  money.  He  had  con- 
sidered Helen  responsible  for  his  bad  luck,  and 
had  called  her  "  una  jettatrice."  The  Princess 
Marina,  whom  he  had  seen  next,  had  made  up 
to  him  for  his  fiasco;  but  he  had  not  forgotten 
it,  and  resentment  was  still  smouldering  in  his 
soul. 

The  news  of  the  approaching  arrival  of  Mrs. 
Ronald  had  not  moved  him  in  the  least.  He  knew 
that  at  bottom  she  had  been  more  flattered  than 
offended  by  his  audacity.  As  he  wished  to  keep 
up  an  appearance  of  friendship  on  account  of 
the  Vergas,  and  also,  perhaps,  because  Helen 
was  a  pretty  woman,  he  decided  to  appear  very 
repentant,  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  purity  of 
American  women,  and  to  put  their  relations  with 
each  other  on  a  friendly  footing. 

On  finding  himself  unexpectedly  in  Helen's 
presence,  he  had  felt  no  emotion  whatever.  Her 
beauty  left  him  quite  calm,  and  while  talking  to 
her,  he  had  examined  her  curiously  with  his  mind 
perfectly  lucid.  She  was  so  cold — and  with  that 


178  Eve  Triumphant 

hair  of  tawny  gold,  that  brilliant  complexion, 
and  those  full  lips !  "  What  a  living  decep- 
tion !  "  he  said  to  himself.  "  What  a  snare  and 
delusion !  "  Suddenly  he  had  noticed  the  effect 
which  his  indifferent  attitude  had  produced  on 
her;  he  saw  her  face  cloud  over  with  disappoint- 
ment, and  his  heart  beat  more  quickly,  while  a 
gleam  came  into  his  eyes.  As  the  carriage  drove 
along,  he  watched  it  for  some  time. 

"  Well,  well ! "  he  said  aloud,  and  a  cruel 
smile  played  over  his  handsome  Koman  mouth, 
as  he  hummed  the  words  of  the  celebrated  song: 

Si  je  t'aime,  prends  garde  &  toi ! 

As  he  walked  down  from  the  Pincio,  in  the 
exultation  of  his  vanity  and  wicked  delight  he 
twirled  his  stick  round  and  round  several  times, 
and  this  gesture,  by  no  means  elegant,  of  mas- 
culine triumph  betokened  once  more  a  woman's 
probable  defeat 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  CHANGE  OP  TACTICS 

THE  very  next  day  Count  Sant'  Anna  went 
to  the  Hotel  du  Quirinal.     He  found  Helen 
alone,  and  she  received  him  with  a  pretty  air 
of  dignity. 

"  I  was  in  a  hurry  to  come  and  pay  my  re- 
spects, and  to  ask  you  to  forgive  me,"  said  Lelo, 
after  they  had  shaken  hands  cordially,  but  in  a 
matter-of-fact  way.  "  I  had  a  fit  of  madness, 
which  caused  me  much  suffering,  and  which  I 
regret  because  it  offended  you.  We  Italians  are 
somewhat  hard  of  belief  as  regards  feminine  in- 
tegrity ;  but  when  we  do  meet  with  a  really  good 
woman,  we  bow  low  before  her,  as  I  do  now." 
Only  a  disinterested  person  would  have  caught 
the  veiled  irony  in  the  young  man's  tone.  "  I  was 
afraid  that  you  would  still  bear  me  a  grudge," 
he  added. 

"  I  had  not  the  right,"  confessed  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald, with  the  rectitude  which  characterised  her, 
"  since  my  behaviour  had  caused  you  to  judge 
me  wrongly.  I  have  flirted  all  my  life,  but  I 
had  never  before  had  occasion  to  repent  it." 

179 


i8o  Eve  Triumphant 

"  You  have  flirted  with  men  of  flesh  and 
blood?  " 

"  Rather !  "  answered  Helen,  laughing. 

"  One  of  these  days  I  shall  have  to  ask  Ameri- 
can men  to  tell  me  the  secret  of  their  stoicism," 
said  Lelo,  with  mock  seriousness.  "  This  time 
your  coquetry  found  me  quite  defenceless.  That 
is  the  only  excuse  I  have  to  offer,  but  as  I  know 
that  you  are  very  just,  I  hope  you  will  accept 
it  and  forgive  me." 

"  Yes,  yes — agreed,  I  forgive  you !  "  said  Mrs. 
Ronald,  with  a  nervous  little  laugh. 

At  this  moment  Dora  entered  the  room  with 
her  hat  on,  and  looking  very  elegant  in  her 
afternoon  dress.  On  seeing  Sant'  Anna,  her 
face  lighted  up  with  pleasure. 

"  I  often  heard  about  you  during  the  summer, 
Mademoiselle,"  said  the  Count,  after  exchang- 
ing a  few  commonplace  remarks,  "  and  I  very 
much  wanted  to  make  your  acquaintance." 

"  Did  they  tell  you  such  very  bad  things  about 
me,  then?"  asked  Dora,  with  her  disconcerting 
irony. 

"  Bad  things !  "  repeated  Lelo,  somewhat  taken 
aback  by  this  attack.  "  Have  you  so  poor  an 
opinion  of  the  Italians?  "  he  added,  laughing. 

"  Of  the  Italians  in  particular,  no,  but  of 
Europeans  in  general." 

"  Ah,  you  know  a  great  many  Europeans?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Miss  Carroll  frankly ;  "  and, 
to  tell  the  truth,  those  I  met  in  Paris  at  Madame 


A  Change  of  Tactics  181 

d'Anguilhon's  seemed  to  me  charming,  but  in 
America  they  are  not  considered  models  of 
perfection." 

"  Well,  you  will  see  that  we  are  not  as  bad 
as  our  reputation;  and  when  you  have  lived 
some  time  amongst  us  you  will  render  us 
justice." 

"  In  the  meantime,  I  am  astonished  at  Home 
and  delighted  with  it.  The  impression  it  had 
left  with  me  was  that  of  a  church  city,  in  which 
one  scarcely  dared  to  speak  above  a  whisper. 
This  morning  I  have  been  going  about,  and  it 
seems  to  me  lively,  and  quite  modernised." 

"  Yes,  they  have  made  it  younger,  as  it  were, 
but  not  artistically  enough,  and  the  effect  is 
rather  painful.  As  for  me,  when  I  go  through 
the  new  parts,  I  have  an  indescribable  sensation 
of  something  wrong,  and  I  go  along  blinking  as 
though  the  light  were  too  strong.  I  have  an 
injured,  offended  sort  of  feeling.  It  is  most 
strange." 

"  No,"  said  Helen ;  "  as  our  race  is  continued 
in  us  individually,  it  is  your  ancestors  who 
suffer  in  this  modern  Rome  thrown  open  to  the 
world." 

A  slight  flush  came  into  the  young  man's  face. 
He  looked  at  the  American  woman  with  surprise, 
mingled  with  admiration. 

"  That  is  possible,"  he  said.  "  It  is  an  ex- 
planation which  I  should  never  have  found  my- 
self. If  the  Sant'  Annas  of  former  days,  as  well 


1 82  Eve  Triumphant 

as  those  of  to-day,  are  protesting  against  the 
present  state  of  things,  it  is  no  wonder  that  I 
am  nervous." 

"  You  belong  to  the  Whites? "  asked  Miss 
Carroll. 

"  Yes,  my  best  friends  are  among  that  party, 
and  my  sympathy  is  more  with  them;  but  I 
have  not  completely  broken  away  from  the 
Blacks,  the  party  to  which  my  family  belongs. 
That  will  enable  me  to  get  anything  for  you 
from  the  Vatican." 

"  Take  care,"  said  Mrs.  Ronald,  "  we  shall  ask 
the  most  extraordinary  things." 

"  Ask  them — I  am  entirely  at  your  service," 
answered  the  young  man,  getting  up. 

The  two  ladies  thanked  him,  and  he  took  his 
leave. 

Madame  Verga  was  always  delighted  to  have 
some  interesting  compatriot  to  introduce,  as  it 
gave  her  a  certain  importance.  The  young  men 
were  more  assiduous  at  her  receptions,  and  this 
was  always  a  great  pleasure  and  triumph  for 
her.  Mrs.  Ronald  was  a  very  pretty  woman, 
and  eminently  decorative;  Dora  was  a  wealthy 
heiress,  original  and  attractive,  so  that,  with  the 
two,  her  season  could  not  fail  to  be  agreeable.  She 
exhibited  them  in  her  carriage  and  at  the  opera, 
introduced  them  to  her  intimate  friends,  and  in 
the  salons  of  the  Whites.  They  were  received 
wherever  they  went  with  that  simple  kindness 
and  that  gracious  courtesy  which  characterise 


A  Change  of  Tactics  183 

the  Italian  aristocracy.  They  very  soon  felt 
quite  at  their  ease  in  this  Roman  society,  where 
every  one  speaks  English  and  French  with  equal 
facility,  and  which  is  becoming  more  and  more 
cosmopolitan,  whose  doors  the  American  woman 
has  forced  open,  and  which  she  is  perhaps 
destined  to  regenerate. 

Helen  and  Miss  Carroll  soon  had  more  invita- 
tions than  they  could  accept.  They  went  every- 
where, escorted  in  the  most  correct  way  by  Miss 
Beauchamp  and  the  Vergas.  Scarcely  a  day 
passed  by  without  meeting  Count  Sant'  Anna. 
Carrying  out  the  mild  vengeance  he  had 
planned,  his  attitude  towards  Mrs.  Ronald  was 
that  of  respectful  friendship,  while  for  Dora  he 
had  all  the  attentions  of  an  admirer.  From  the 
first  moment  these  two  had  felt  a  sort  of  sym- 
pathy for  each  other,  and  he  had  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  making  their  friendship  seem  like  a 
flirtation.  He  never  lost  an  occasion  of  being 
with  the  two  American  ladies,  and  had  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  accompany  them  on  their  sight- 
seeing expeditions,  which  were  nothing  less  than 
artistic  and  historical  pilgrimages. 

"  Not  as  your  cicerone,"  he  added,  with  fine 
candour,  "  for  I  do  not  know  Rome ;  I  have  al- 
ways been  waiting  until  I  could  find  a  pretty 
woman  who  would  show  it  to  me.  Since  Provi- 
dence has  sent  me  two,  I  must  take  advantage 
of  a  graciousness  which  may  never  be  repeated." 

This  petition,  so  drolly  expressed,  was  granted, 


184  Eve  Triumphant 

and  Lelo  was  constantly  to  be  seen  roaming 
through  the  picture  galleries  of  the  Vatican, 
visiting  the  basilicas,  the  forum,  and  the  palace 
of  the  Ca3sars.  Mrs.  Ronald  and  Dora  soon  dis- 
covered his  real  ignorance — his  incapacity  to 
translate  a  Latin  inscription.  They  teased  him 
unmercifully,  but  he  did  not  take  offence,  as  the 
Italian  is  never  ashamed  of  not  knowing  things; 
he  would  be  more  ashamed  of  not  feeling  them. 
He  has  the  gift  of  intuition,  which  serves  him 
constantly  and  which  suffices,  making  him  de- 
spise acquired  science.  In  her  usual  free-and- 
easy  way,  Dora  handed  over  the  Baedeker  to 
Sant'  Anna,  and  made  him  read  it  to  her. 
He  did  this,  at  first  considering  it  a  great 
bore;  but  soon  the  concise  information  made 
him  want  to  know  still  more  about  certain 
subjects.  He  even  plunged  into  Suetonius, 
and  a  member  of  the  Hunting  Club  reading 
Suetonius  was  indeed  a  phenomenon !  By  some 
mystery  of  atavism,  Lelo  entered  into  every- 
thing connected  with  the  things  and  people 
of  Rome  more  quickly  and  more  thoroughly 
than  his  companions  could.  Often,  when  look- 
ing at  some  relic  of  the  Middle  Ages,  his  face 
would  cloud  over  with  emotion,  his  eyes  would 
take  a  still  more  melancholy  expression,  and  he 
would  bend  his  head  slightly  as  though  for  a 
few  seconds  the  past  had  claimed  him.  In  all 
these  expeditions  he  kept  more  with  Dora,  who 
amused  him  with  her  outspokenness  and  her 


A  Change  of  Tactics  185 

original  ideas.  By  a  tacit  understanding  they 
both  fell  behind  always,  looking  at  some  statue 
or  picture.  This  little  manoeuvre  caused  Helen 
to  feel  a  sort  of  exasperation,  and  she  would 
hurry  on  as  though  to  get  away  from  something 
which  pained  her.  Aunt  Sophie,  who  always 
made  one  of  the  party,  could  scarcely  keep  up 
with  her;  and  when  the  young  people  joined  her 
again,  there  was  a  nervous  expression  on  her 
face  which  made  the  Roman's  eyes  sparkle  with 
mischief  and  satisfaction. 

One  afternoon  Madame  Verga  had  invited 
Dora  and  her  mother  to  accompany  her,  and 
Miss  Beauchamp  and  Mrs.  Eonald  drove  out  to- 
gether. The  latter  told  the  coachman  to  take 
them  out  by  the  Porta  San  Sebastiano.  The 
idea  had  suddenly  come  to  her,  like  some  in- 
spiration, to  go  on  to  the  Appian  Way.  It 
happened  to  be  one  of  the  great  days  for  the 
Campagna,  one  of  those  days  of  mourning,  when, 
either  through  the  effect  of  the  light  or  for 
some  unknown  cause,  it  looks  infinitely  sad, 
almost  supernaturally  so,  in  fact.  Helen  was 
deeply  impressed  as  by  something  uncanny. 

"  It  looks  like  part  of  a  dead  planet,"  she 
said,  her  eyes  wandering  over  the  dreary 
Campagna. 

"  Not  quite,"  answered  Miss  Beauchamp ;  "  for 
just  over  yonder  is  the  Vergas'  carriage,  and, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  there  are  Count  Sant' 
Anna  and  Dora  on  in  front,  walking." 


1 86  Eve  Triumphant 

Mrs.  Ronald  looked  in  her  turn,  and,  on  dis- 
tinguishing amongst  the  tombs  which  skirt  the 
old  Roman  Way  the  forms  of  the  two  young 
people,  she  felt  a  sudden  pang  at  her  heart.  She 
saw  Miss  Carroll  stoop  down  to  read  an  inscrip- 
tion, and  then  afterwards,  with  her  head  turned 
towards  her  companion,  walk  slowly  on  again 
with  him  in  a  way  which  showed  they  were 
having  a  familiar  chat. 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,  they  are  studying  archaeo- 
logy," she  said,  in  a  sarcastic  tone. 

"  Where  did  they  find  the  Count?  "  asked  Miss 
Beauchamp. 

"  At  the  Corso,  probably ;  these  Romans  are 
always  in  the  street." 

"  It  is  no  wonder  that  every  one  is  saying 
Dora  is  going  to  marry  him." 

"  Ah !  is  every  one  saying  that?  " 

"  Yes ;  several  people  have  spoken  of  it  to 
Mary,  and  she  seems  to  be  more  flattered  than 
displeased  at  the  idea.  I  really  believe  that  she 
would  not  be  vexed  to  see  her  daughter  a 
countess." 

"  A  countess — she — Dody !  with  her  free-and- 
easy  ways  and  manner!  A  pretty  countess, 
certainly!  I  hope  she  will  be  sensible  enough 
not  to  hamper  herself  with  a  title,  and  honour- 
able enough  not  to  break  off  her  engagement. 
Jack,  who  knows  her,  ought  not  to  let  her  be 
alone  here  with  all  these  foreign  men;  he  is 
stupid." 


A  Change  of  Tactics  187 

"  But,  my  dear,  you  forget  that  his  partner 
is  in  San  Francisco,  and  that  he  is  not  free. 
She  wanted  him  to  go  into  business,  and  he  is 
in  business." 

"  Well,  I  shall  write  to  him  this  very 
day.  He  particularly  commended  Dora  to  me, 
so  that  I  shall  be  rid  of  my  responsibility 
then." 

"  You  are  quite  right." 

"  Let  us  go  back — it  is  so  gloomy,"  said  Helen, 
shivering,  and  without  waiting  for  Miss  Beau- 
champ's  assent  she  told  the  coachman  to  turn 
round.  All  the  rest  of  the  way  she  was  silent, 
and  on  arriving  at  the  hotel,  without  even  tak- 
ing off  her  hat,  she  sat  down  and  wrote  to  Mr. 
Ascott.  She  could  not  have  waited  a  minute, 
possessed  as  she  was  by  that  fever  which  at 
certain  moments  would  make  us  start  a  loco- 
motive or  inflate  a  balloon, — anything  and  every- 
thing for  our  words  to  arrive  more  quickly, 
—words  which  afterwards  we  would  give  our 
life  not  to  have  written.  Without  mentioning 
any  names,  she  told  Jack  that  some  one  was 
making  love  to  Dora,  that  her  fortune  was  a 
temptation,  and  she  warned  him  that  his  happi- 
ness was  at  stake.  She  knew  that  on  receiving 
that  letter,  Jack  would  send  for  his  partner  and 
start  for  Europe. 

"  That 's  done,"  she  said  to  Miss  Beauchamp, 
after  writing  the  address  quickly;  and  then,  while 
drying  the  wet  ink  with  the  blotting-paper, 


1 88  Eve  Triumphant 

she  added,  in  a  sort  of  temper :  "  Our  Ameri- 
can men  are  much  too  stupid.  If  we  were  not 
precious  good  creatures  the  very  worst  things 
might  happen ! " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THREE  PEOPLE  IN   LOVE 

IN  transferring  his  attentions  and  his  admira- 
tion to  Miss  Carroll,  Count  Sant'  Anna  had 
had  no  other  object  than  to  annoy  Mrs.  Ronald 
and  to  wound  her  vanity.  Gradually,  however, 
a  certain  sentimental  fervour  had  come  into  his 
words,  and,  without  being  aware  of  it,  he  had 
adopted  the  tone  and  manner  of  a  lover.  He 
had  been  fascinated  by  the  dark  complexion 
and  light  eyes  of  Dora,  and  by  her  resemblance, 
in  certain  points,  to  the  Princess  Marina.  Both 
of  them  were  slender  and  graceful;  Donna  Vit- 
toria  had  all  the  grace  and  suppleness  of  a  feline 
creature,  and  the  American  girl  the  strong 
pliancy  of  well- tempered  steel. 

A  man  is  not  often  faithful  to  one  woman, 
but  he  is  nearly  always  faithful  to  one  type  of 
woman.  Miss  Carroll  was  the  type  which  Lelo 
admired,  and,  besides  this,  she  had  the  gift  of 
amusing  and  interesting  him.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  until  he  met  her  he  had  never  seen  a 
creature  absolutely  free.  Her  independence  of 
thought  amazed  him,  and  she  seemed  to  walk 
through  life  unfettered  in  every  way.  With  her 

189 


190  Eve  Triumphant 

strong  will  and  the  wealth  at  her  disposal,  she 
impressed  him  with  the  idea  that  she  was  all- 
powerful.  Then,  too,  like  him,  she  was  passion- 
ately fond  of  horses.  Both  of  them  would  have 
stopped  in  the  middle  of  a  love  duet  to  watch 
a  fine  animal  pass,  and  to  discuss  his  coat  or 
his  step.  The  first  time  that  Lelo  saw  Miss 
Carroll  out  fox-hunting  he  had  a  sort  of  lover's 
thrill,  and,  fascinated  by  her  faultless  horseman- 
ship, he  never  left  her  for  a  moment,  and  com- 
plimented her  in  terms  which  gave  her  the  most 
delicious  sensation  of  pleasure  and  triumph  she 
had  ever  experienced. 

The  Marquise  Verga,  whose  secret  wish  was 
to  see  the  American  element  increase  in  Rome, 
and  who  did  not  know  Mr.  Ascott,  had  no 
scruple  whatever  in  working  against  him.  She 
kept  repeating  to  the  Count  that  Miss  Carroll, 
an  only  daughter,  with  a  dowry  of  five  millions, 
was  the  wife  that  he  needed.  The  suggestion, 
repeated  over  and  over  again,  had  done  its  work, 
and  he  was  now  beginning  to  wonder  how  his 
mother  and  sister  would  look  upon  his  marriage 
with  a  foreigner  and  a  Protestant.  They  would 
probably  consider  it  as  the  complement  of  what 
they  called  his  apostasy.  He  was  obliged  to 
own  to  himself  that  this  ultra-modern  American 
girl  would  be  a  somewhat  violent  contrast  to 
his  own  people;  but,  as  he  said  to  himself,  money 
smooths  over  all  difficulties. 

Lelo  knew  that  Dora  was  engaged.     At  the 


Three  People  in  Love  191 

beginning  of  their  acquaintance  she  had  often 
spoken  to  him  of  Jack  Ascott  and  of  her  ap- 
proaching marriage.  She  never  talked  of  all 
this  now,  and  he  wondered  whether  he  would  be 
able  to  persuade  her  to  break  off  her  engage- 
ment, and  whether  she  would  love  him  enough 
to  brave  the  scandal  which  this  would  cause. 
Under  her  frivolity  he  felt  that  there  was  a 
strength  of  character  which  might  prove  a  seri- 
ous obstacle.  He  noticed,  however,  with  keen 
satisfaction,  that  she  seemed  to  be  more  and 
more  affected  by  his  presence.  When  he  arrived, 
her  long  eyelashes  would  droop,  the  corners  of 
her  thin  lips  would  contract,  and  for  the  first 
few  minutes  she  would  talk  volubly  in  a  tremu- 
lous, nervous  way.  When  with  him  she  was  in- 
finitely more  gentle,  and  as  she  walked  along  at 
his  side  there  was  in  her  whole  attitude  a  sort 
of  unconscious  submission.  This  was  all  the 
more  marked,  because  her  strong  individuality 
generally  made  her  brusque  and  hard.  The 
change  in  the  young  girl  was  still  greater  than 
Lelo  had  dared  to  think. 

The  first  time  that  she  had  read  the  name  of 
Sant'  Anna  in  one  of  Helen's  letters,  she  had 
been  fascinated,  as  it  were,  by  it;  she  imagined 
that  the  man  who  bore  it  must  be  tall  and  dark, 
with  regular  features.  She  had  not  been  disap- 
pointed; and,  what  was  still  more,  the  first  time 
that  her  own  bright  eyes,  with  their  bold,  mock- 
ing expression,  had  met  the  luminous  gaze  of 


192  Eve  Triumphant 

the  Italian  fixed  on  her,  she  had  felt  a  sort  of 
shock  and  a  certain  emotion  which,  although 
slight,  went  to  prove  that  it  had  been  a  case 
of  love  at  first  sight.  If,  at  that  moment,  im- 
possible though  the  supposition  may  be,  he  had 
proposed  to  her,  she  would  have  accepted  him. 
She  would  never  have  owned  to  this,  but  it  was 
in  this  way  that  she  had  been  conquered.  The 
attentions  of  the  Count,  handsome  Roman  pa- 
trician as  he  was,  flattered  her  extremely.  She 
began  to  compare  him  with  Jack,  and  the  com- 
parison was  not  to  the  advantage  of  the  latter. 
His  presence  caused  her  a  joy  which  she  had 
never  yet  felt;  his  words  and  looks  made  a  deep 
impression  on  her.  Things  which  belonged  to 
him,  no  matter  how  commonplace  they  might  be, 
seemed  different  to  her;  and  when  she  touched 
them,  it  was  as  though  there  were  something 
magnetic  about  them.  Dora,  who  had  never 
really  loved  before,  was  surprised  at  these  phe- 
nomena, and  looked  upon  the  man  who  caused 
them  as  a  superior  being.  And  during  their 
long  walks  and  conversations  the  divine  fluid 
was  doing  its  work,  as  Henry  Ronald  had  ex- 
plained, "  touching  an  inactive  cell  here,  an  un- 
suspected fibre  there,  or  a  mute  chord,"  in  order 
to  produce  the  great  miracle  of  love. 

Miss  Carroll  had  always  had  a  secret  weak- 
ness for  titles,  and  since  she  had  been  in  Rome 
she  liked  them  more  than  ever;  she  even  said 
to  herself  that  with  her  wealth  she  might  have 


Three  People  in  Love  193 

married  into  the  aristocracy.  She  began  to  feel 
something  very  near  akin  to  regret  about  her 
engagement  to  Jack  Ascott,  and  this  increased 
as  she  became  more  intimate  with  Sant'  Anna. 
She  fought  against  it  energetically  at  first;  and 
then  gradually  it  gained  ground,  until  at  last 
faithlessness  worked  itself  into  her  heart,  as  it 
has  done  into  hundreds  of  feminine  hearts,  in 
all  the  various  ways  due  to  different  characters 
and  temperaments. 

Dora  could  see  very  well  that  in  Roman  so- 
ciety her  marriage  with  the  Count  Sant'  Anna 
had  been  arranged.  Whenever  he  approached 
her,  people  watched  them  and  whispered  to- 
gether. While  she  was  in  her  box  at  the  opera, 
all  the  glasses  were  turned  on  them  in  the  most 
persistent  way,  and  she  could  scarcely  hide  the 
joy  which  this  caused  her. 

Helen  had  not  failed  to  tell  her  what  she 
knew  about  Lelo's  relations  with  Donna  Vittoria. 

"  Mind  you  do  not  make  this  beautiful  princess 
jealous  with  your  flirtation,"  she  said  to  her  one 
day  jokingly.  "  She  might  make  you  pay  dearly 
for  it — stab  you,  perhaps." 

The  young  girl  blushed  and  shrugged  her 
shoulders. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  anything  but  vitriol,"  she 
answered  gaily,  "  and  that  is  too  plebeian  a 
weapon  for  a  grande  dame." 

Mrs.  Ronald  watched  with  increasing  anguish 

this  romance  which  was  being  lived  under  her 
13 


194  Eye  Triumphant 

eyes.  She  tried  to  be  indifferent  to  it,  but  that 
was  impossible,  for  it  found  a  deep  and  direct 
echo  within  her,  and  she  felt  herself  hopelessly 
involved  in  it.  Her  soul,  hitherto  so  serene  and 
so  joyous,  was  now  disturbed  by  the  most  ex- 
traordinary feelings.  The  sight  of  the  intimacy 
between  Dora  and  Sant'  Anna  irritated  her,  but 
this  she  attributed  to  her  friendship  for  Jack. 
The  idea  that  Miss  Carroll  might  marry  the 
Count  was  so  painful  to  her  that  she  would  not 
allow  herself  to  continue  thinking  about  it.  She 
would  have  given  anything  to  hasten  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Ascott.  It  seemed  to  her  that  his  pre- 
sence would  relieve  her  of  this  weight  which 
had  fallen  on  her  heart,  and  which,  she  fancied, 
was  that  of  her  responsibility. 

Lelo  was  counting  on  the  Carnival  for  advanc- 
ing matters  for  him.  Now  that  the  Church  no 
longer  countenances  this  outburst  of  folly,  which 
is  necessary,  probably,  like  all  other  things,  the 
Carnival  at  Rome  has  lost  its  superb  mediaeval 
character  and  its  originality,  but  it  still  favours 
lovers  in  a  most  marvellous  way.  Masks,  dis- 
guises, confetti,  moccoletti,  play  their  part  in  the 
weaving  of  delightful  romances,  in  bringing 
about  tragic  or  comic  effects  and  unforeseen  en- 
counters, and,  in  short,  in  changing  human 
destinies. 

The  masked  ball,  or  veglione,  in  Italy  is  quite 
an  acknowledged  society  institution.  There  is 
nothing  disorderly  or  unseemly  about  it.  Great 


Three  People  in  Love  195 

ladies  and  women  of  the  middle  class  all  go  to 
it,  and  endeavour  to  puzzle  their  friends  and 
acquaintances  by  whispering  to  them  all  kinds 
of  perfidious  and  embarrassing  remarks,  while 
others  simply  go  for  the  pleasure  of  being  able 
to  walk  arm-in-arm  with  a  lover.  The  Roman 
women  begin  to  think  about  the  veglione  months 
beforehand,  and  always  hope  to  have  some 
amusing  adventures. 

Madame  Verga  was  very  enthusiastic,  and  in 
order  to  have  more  liberty,  she  generally  went 
with  some  of  her  compatriots,  and  enjoyed  her- 
self in  the  most  innocent  manner.  She  was  al- 
ways well  posted  and  cleverly  disguised.  Her 
friends  never  failed  to  recognise  her  in  the  end; 
but  in  order  not  to  spoil  her  fun,  they  did  not 
let  her  see  that  they  knew  her.  This  year,  on 
account  of  the  illness  of  one  of  her  children,  she 
could  not  take  part  in  the  first  veglione,  but  as 
she  was  free  for  the  last  one  she  engaged  a  box 
at  the  Constanzi  Theatre,  and  invited  two  Ameri- 
can men,  Helen,  and  Dora.  She  ordered  three 
black  dominoes,  all  alike,  not  too  ugly,  but  made 
to  conceal  the  figure  entirely.  She  then  initiated 
her  friends  into  the  spirit  of  the  masked  ball, 
as  it  is  in  Koine,  made  them  practise  a  falsetto 
voice,  and  told  them  various  little  secrets  about 
certain  young  men  who  were  well  known  in  so- 
ciety. When  the  great  day  arrived,  the  Mar- 
quise took  her  friends  to  the  Constanzi  Theatre. 
The  three  ladies  wore  on  the  left  shoulder  a 


196  Eve  Triumphant 

spray  of  the  same  kind  of  orchid.  On  entering 
the  box,  Mrs.  Ronald  and  Miss  Carroll  gazed 
with  some  alarm  on  the  strange,  masked  crowd, 
moving  like  a  buzzing  swarm  below  them.  The 
Marquise  at  once  began  trying  to  recognise  peo- 
ple, and,  impatient  to  be  quite  free,  she  dismissed 
the  two  American  men  who  had  accompanied 
her,  and  took  her  two  friends  down  into  the 
theatre.  When  once  there  she  gave  them  a  few 
more  hints,  such  as  not  to  allow  themselves  to 
be  taken  into  one  of  the  boxes,  and  to  get  away 
as  quickly  as  possible  from  any  one  who  seemed 
inclined  to  carry  joking  too  far,  and  then  she 
herself  glided  into  the  crowd  and  disappeared. 

For  the  last  week,  Helen  and  Dora  had 
thought  of  nothing  but  the  veglione.  It  was 
quite  a  new  kind  of  entertainment  for  them,  and 
had  excited  their  imagination  as  nothing  else 
had  ever  done.  They  had  made  up  their  minds 
to  be  daring  and  witty  enough  for  ten  people, 
but  now,  on  finding  themselves  alone  in  the 
middle  of  the  theatre,  they  were  quite  taken 
aback.  They  saw  some  young  men  pass,  whom 
they  had  intended  to  mystify,  but  they  had  not 
the  courage  to  utter  a  word.  It  is  not  as  easy 
as  one  would  think  for  a  well-brought-up  woman 
to  leave  the  beaten  path.  A  man,  even,  when  he 
feels  an  unknown  hand  placed  on  his  arm,  can- 
not always  master  a  certain  emotion  which  often 
makes  him  dumb,  or  else  causes  him  to  talk  non- 
sense. Their  masks,  which  the  two  American 


Three  People  in  Love  197 

women  had  imagined  would  give  them  assurance, 
seemed  to  paralyse  them,  and  the  falsetto  voice, 
which  they  fancied  they  had  practised  to  per- 
fection, refused  to  serve  them.  Their  first 
ventures  were  awkward  enough,  but  when  once 
they  had  fairly  started,  they  got  back  their 
courage,  and  before  long  caused  plenty  of  be- 
wilderment and  curiosity,  thoroughly  enjoying, 
themselves,  the  fun  of  it  all.  Although  they  did 
not  own  it  even  to  themselves,  the  great  attrac- 
tion of  this  ball  for  both  of  them  was  Count 
Sant'  Anna.  It  was  he,  above  all,  whom  they 
wanted  to  mystify  and  bewilder,  and  they  had 
looked  round  for  him  the  very  first  moment. 
He  was  there;  standing  up,  with  the  light  full 
on  him,  his  back  against  the  door-post  of  one 
of  the  boxes  to  the  right  of  the  entrance,  some 
white  carnations  in  his  buttonhole.  He  appeared 
to  be  having  more  success  than  any  other  man 
present,  and  was  surrounded  with  dominoes  with 
whom  he  was  exchanging  lively  remarks.  Thus 
besieged,  it  was  impossible  to  accost  him  during 
the  first  part  of  the  evening.  Later  on  he  en- 
tered the  crowd,  and,  examining  closely  all  the 
masks,  seemed  to  be  trying  to  find  some  one. 
Several  women  endeavoured  to  take  possession 
of  him,  but  he  got  rid  of  them  quickly.  Helen, 
who  had  never  lost  sight  of  him,  approached, 
and  began  following  him  about,  her  heart  beat- 
ing fast,  and  she  herself  almost  dizzy  with  emo- 
tion. A  little  group  having  stopped  him  on  his 


198  Eve  Triumphant 

way,  he  was  suddenly  side  by  side  with  her. 
It  was  now  or  never  if  she  meant  to  accost  him. 
She  seized  his  arm  brusquely,  and  Lelo  looked 
at  her  curiously,  his  face  lighting  up. 

"  Is  it  true  that  you  are  going  to  be  married?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Ronald  in  French,  in  a  voice  which 
was  admirably  disguised. 

"  Again  !  Oh,  but  this  is  a  bet !  It 's  the 
twentieth  time,  at  least,  that  I  have  been  asked 
this  question." 

"  And  what  have  you  answered?  " 

"  That  I  am  quite  willing,  if  only  I  am 
accepted." 

Deeply  moved  by  these  words,  Helen  instinct- 
ively tried  to  take  her  hand  away,  but  the  Count 
held  it  firmly,  clasping  it  tightly  in  his  own,  and 
Helen  experienced  once  more  the  same  feeling  of 
strange  happiness  which  she  had  had  at  Ouchy. 

"Why  do  you  want  to  leave  me  so  soon?" 
asked  Sant'  Anna  gently.  "  Does  my  marriage 
trouble  you?  " 

"  Trouble  me?  Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  per- 
fectly indifferent  I  am  to  you  and  all  that  con- 
cerns you ! " 

These  words  proved  to  Lelo  that  he  was  not 
mistaken  in  thinking  it  was  Mrs.  Ronald  with 
whom  he  had  to  do,  and  a  truly  diabolical  idea 
came  to  his  mind. 

"  Indifferent ! "  he  repeated.  "  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that,  for  my  love  has  always  won  love  in 
return." 


Three  People  in  Love  199 

"  Not  always." 

"  Always — sooner  or  later.  I  have  resolved 
to  win  you,  and  to  make  you  forget  Jack  Ascott." 

Helen  gave  a  forced  laugh. 

"  Ah,  you  take  me  for  your  American !  Well, 
for  a  lover,  I  must  say  you  have  not  much 
perspicacity." 

Sant'  Anna,  pretending  to  be  surprised  and 
embarrassed,  stopped  short. 

"  Who  are  you,  then?  " 

"  Find  out !  "  And  with  these  words,  Helen 
escaped,  and  turning  her  back  on  him  was  soon 
lost  in  the  crowd. 

A  mocking  smile  lighted  up  the  Count's  eyes. 

"  She  knows  now,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  and 
she  is  furious  into  the  bargain !  " 

Dora,  who  from  some  distance  had  seen  the 
domino  she  knew  abandon  Lelo,  left  the  unfortu- 
nate young  man  she  was  herself  tormenting,  and 
came  hovering  around  Sant'  Anna.  Twice  she 
passed  him  quite  closely,  not  daring  to  speak  a 
word,  suddenly  seized  with  an  invincible  timid- 
ity. He  examined  her  from  head  to  foot. 

"  Another  spray  of  orchid,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"  It  is  certainly  Miss  Carroll." 

"Will  you  take  my  arm?"  he  said.  "You 
look  charming." 

The  young  girl  put  her  trembling  hand  on  the 
arm  which  was  held  out  to  her. 

"  Let  us  get  out  of  this  furnace.  We  can  go 
into  the  passages;  it  will  be  better  there."  And 


2oo  Eve  Triumphant 

then,  seeing  that  his  companion  did  not  utter 
a  word,  he  added :  "  You  are  not  dumb,  I 
hope?  " 

Dora  had  by  this  time  recovered  her  assurance. 

"  Oh,  no,  thank  heaven !  "  she  replied  quickly, 
in  a  voice  which  could  not  be  recognised ;  "  and 
I  am  very  well  posted  up  about  you." 

"Indeed!" 

"  Yes ;  you  are  as  fickle  and  inconstant  as 
Don  Juan,  incapable  of  true  affection;  and  at 
the  same  time  you  have  the  art  of  persuading 
women  that  you  are  in  love  with  them." 

"  Your  information  is  false — absolutely  false ! 
I  can  prove  it  to  you.  Let  us  go  into  this  box." 

Miss  Carroll,  remembering  Madame  Verga's 
advice,  tried  to  escape;  but  Lelo  put  his  hand 
quickly  on  hers. 

"  I  do  not  let  you  go  until  you  have  heard 
me.  An  accused  man  has  the  right  to  defend 
himself."  And  with  a  certain  authority,  which 
acted  like  a  spell  on  the  American  girl,  he  took 
her  into  a  box  which  belonged  to  him,  gave  her 
a  chair,  and  placed  himself  opposite  her,  with 
his  back  turned  to  the  rest  of  the  theatre. 

"  You  have  been  told  that  I  am  incapable  of 
true  affection?  "  he  asked. 

Dora  nodded. 

"  Well,  then,  you  have  been  told  wrong,  for 
I  am  sincerely  in  love  with  a  girl  now." 

"  Oh,  nonsense ! " 

"It  is  the  simple  truth." 


Three  People  in  Love  201 

"  And  she  is  fair?  " 

"  No ;  she  is  dark." 

"Pretty?" 

"  I  think  so — yes." 

"  That  means  that  other  people  think  her 
ugly?  " 

"  Not  at  all !  She  has  the  most  beautiful  eyes 
in  the  world,  and  she  is  intelligent,  original, 
delicious.  I  love  her  as  I  have  never  loved  be- 
fore. It  is  so  true  that  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  am  thinking  about  marrying.  Shall  I  tell 
you  her  name?  "  asked  Lelo,  lowering  his  voice. 

"  No,  no ;  I  am  not  inquisitive." 

"  Because  you  know  it ;  because  you  know  that 
her  name  is — yours." 

Miss  Carroll  rose,  and  her  emotion  was  visible 
in  spite  of  her  mask  and  domino. 

"  What  folly !  "  she  said  brusquely. 

Lelo  rose  in  his  turn,  and  taking  the  young 
girl's  two  hands  he  held  them  firmly  between  his. 

"  Folly — why?  I  ought  not  to  have  said  this 
to  you  in  such  a  place,  but  your  words  drove  me 
to  it.  Tell  me  that  you  believe  in  my  love?  " 

"  What  is  the  good?  I  am  not  free;  you  know 
that  well." 

"  Yes ;  and  the  sight  of  that  ring  you  wear 
is  odious  to  me.  I  shall  not  be  happy  until 
you  have  returned  it  to  the  person  who  gave 
it  you." 

"  What !  Break  off  my  engagement?  Oh,  that 
is  impossible — quite  impossible!  Mr.  Ascott 


202  Eve  Triumphant 

does  not  deserve  such  an  insult,  and  it  would 
spoil  his  life.  He  loves  me  devotedly." 

"  But  you  do  not  love  him,"  said  the  Count 
boldly.  "  And  if  you  dared  to  search  your  own 
heart,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken  you  would 
feel  that  you  could  not  marry  Mr.  Ascott  now." 

Dora  drew  her  hands  violently  away  from 
Sant'  Anna's.  At  this  moment  a  friend  of  his, 
thinking  the  box  was  empty,  rushed  in  with  two 
dominoes.  There  was  an  upsetting  of  chairs, 
and  before  the  intruders  could  get  away  Miss 
Carroll  had  escaped. 

When  she  returned  to  the  hotel,  towards  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  Giovanni,  the  courier, 
handed  her  a  telegram  which  had  arrived  in  the 
evening.  She  guessed  instantly  from  whom  it 
was,  and  turned  slightly  pale. 

"  Jack  arrives  on  Thursday,"  she  said,  after 
reading  it. 

"  It  is  n't  any  too  early,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Ronald  drily. 

"  No.  It  is  too  late,  in  fact !  "  answered  Dora, 
tearing  up  the  telegram  in  a  quick,  hard  way, 
which  showed  that  her  mind  was  made  up  on 
some  subject. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

AN  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN 

SANT'  ANNA'S  words  had  at  first  alarmed 
and  disturbed  Miss  Carroll;  but  when  she 
was  alone  she  felt,  as  she  recalled  them,  such 
joy  as  she  had  never  yet  known,  added  to  a  cer- 
tain pride  and  the  most  delicious  emotion.  He 
loved  her,  and  he  had  told  her  so  with  his  lips 
and  with  his  eyes.  The  words  had  been  written 
on  every  line  of  his  expressive  face,  ajid  it  was 
for  her  now  to  decide  whether  she  would  be 
his  wife — she,  Dora,  the  wife  of  this  Koman 
patrician !  The  prospect  dazzled  her  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  she  dared  not  immediately  look  it  full 
in  the  face. 

Marriage,  which  she  had  hitherto  been  pleased 
to  consider  as  a  sort  of  noose,  seemed  to  her  now 
like  something  quite  awe-inspiring. 

The  Count  had  gone  so  far  as  to  tell  her  that 
she  could  not  marry  Jack  now !  He  must  think, 
then,  that  she  loved  him,  and  at  this  idea  a  deep 
blush  covered  the  young  girl's  face.  She  began 
to  protest  to  herself,  to  get  indignant,  and  to 
make  fun  of  it  all;  but  her  revolt  finished  piti- 

203 


204  Eve  Triumphant 

fully  in  a  little  tremulous  laugh.  No,  she  could 
not  deny  it.  His  presence  caused  her  the  most 
extraordinary  joy,  and  when  with  him  she  lost 
all  notion  of  time  and  all  memory  of  the  past. 
Love  alone  could  produce  such  phenomena.  How 
was  it  that  Jack  had  not  been  able  to  rouse  this 
feeling  in  her?  It  was  all  his  own  fault,  after 
all.  His  fault! — She  had  at  last  found  a  griev- 
ance against  the  poor  fellow.  He  was  good,  and 
true,  and  devoted;  but  he  was  just  like  all  other 
young  men.  His  eyes  had  never  had  that  flame 
in  them  which  stirs  the  depths  of  a  woman's  soul. 
She  knew  him  too  well,  and  whenever  he  left  her 
she  always  used  to  feel  a  sort  of  relief.  With 
Count  Sant'  Anna,  life  would  seem  to  her  too 
short  and,  with  Jack,  too  long.  No,  she  would 
never  be  able  to  make  him  happy;  she  under- 
stood that  now. 

It  was  her  duty,  then,  to  break  off  her  en- 
gagement— yes,  it  was  certainly  her  duty.  She 
dwelt  on  this  idea  in  order  to  blind  herself  to 
the  odious  cruelty  of  the  deed  she  was  about  to 
commit.  And  every  one  would  blame  her;  no 
one  would  appreciate  the  loyalty  which  dictated 
her  conduct.  How  should  she  set  about  getting 
herself  released  from  her  promise?  As  she 
asked  herself  this  question,  she  turned  her  en- 
gagement ring  round  with  a  reflex  movement  on 
her  finger.  Suddenly  her  eyes  fell  on  the  mag- 
nificent ruby,  which  was  a  rare  and  precious 
gem.  The  sight  of  it  awoke  within  her  a  whole 


An  Engagement  Broken          205 

crowd  of  memories,  and  a  sudden  feeling  of 
remorse  took  possession  of  her. 

"  Poor  Jack ! "  she  said  aloud ;  and  then,  her 
eyes  misty  with  tears,  she  added :  "  I  wish  I 
were  dead ! " 

There  was  not  the  faintest  shadow  of  sincerity 
in  this  wish;  but  it  is  a  way  in  which  the 
American  woman  is  accustomed  to  ease  her 
conscience. 

The  moral  combat  which  was  waged  in  Miss 
Carroll's  soul  during  part  of  the  night  and  the 
whole  of  the  following  day  revealed  a  depth  of 
thought  and  feeling  which  no  one  would  have 
suspected.  If  she  had  been  the  frivolous,  selfish 
girl  she  always  tried  to  appear,  she  would 
quickly  have  disposed  of  her  fiance,  but  she  was 
in  reality  much  better  than  she  herself  imagined. 
Just  at  first  she  had  only  felt  the  joy  of  being 
loved  by  Lelo,  and  satisfaction  at  the  thought  of 
becoming  a  countess ;  at  present,  though,  she  was 
regretting  the  pain  that  she  would  cause.  The 
idea  of  breaking  her  word  was  unendurable  to 
her,  and  made  her  feel  thoroughly  ashamed.  She 
hated  herself,  called  herself  all  kinds  of  names, 
and  was  much  more  severe  about  the  matter  than 
any  one  else  would  have  dared  to  be.  She  would 
have  given  a  great  deal  to  break  off  her  engage- 
ment by  letter;  but  this  was  quite  impossible. 
She  was  doomed  to  face  Jack's  grief,  to  endure 
his  reproaches.  If  only  he  would  get  into  a 
temper — give  her  cause  to  blame  him!  A  good 


206  Eve  Triumphant 

quarrel  was  the  only  thing  which  would  facilitate 
the  inevitable  rupture. 

As  the  time  drew  nearer  and  nearer  for  Miss 
Carroll's  interview  with  her  fiance,  she  kept  re- 
peating, with  more  and  more  sincerity :  "  I 
wish  I  were  dead !  oh,  I  do  wish  I  were  dead ! " 
But  there  was  no  sign  of  a  premature  end  for 
the  poor  girl ;  and  Mr.  Ascott  was  coming  as  fast 
as  the  express  could  bring  him. 

As  Mrs.  Ronald  had  supposed,  he  had,  on  the 
receipt  of  her  letter,  at  once  sent  for  his  partner 
and  started,  himself,  by  the  first  steamer  which 
had  set  sail.  During  the  whole  time  of  his  voy- 
age he  had  had  alternate  fits  of  trust  and  doubt, 
and  these  different  waves  of  feeling  had  produced 
a  sort  of  moral  seasickness,  which  was  more  in- 
tolerable than  definite  pain. 

The  agitation  which  precedes  all  decisive 
events  in  life  nearly  always  ceases  when  one 
begins  to  act.  A  sort  of  unconsciousness  then 
comes  over  us;  we  do  not  utter  a  word  of  what 
we  wanted  to  say,  we  do  nothing  that  we  in- 
tended to  do;  but,  according  to  our  destiny, 
things  take  this  turn  or  that,  and  often  the 
most  unexpected  turn  possible. 

When,  on  Thursday  morning,  towards  half- 
past  eleven,  Mr.  Ascott's  card  was  brought  to 
Dora,  her  heart  began  to  beat  violently.  As  she 
arranged  her  hair  at  the  glass,  and  retied  the 
bow  at  her  neck,  her  fingers  trembled  visibly, 
and  then,  subjugated  by  the  Inevitable,  and  all 


An  Engagement  Broken          207 

capacity  of  thought  annihilated,  she  went  to  the 
salon. 

"  Hullo,  Jack !  "  she  said,  greeting  her  fiance 
as  though  she  had  seen  him  the  day  before,  and 
using  the  friendly  and  familiar  word  which  came 
most  naturally  to  her. 

The  eyes  of  the  two  young  people  met  at  the 
same  time  as  their  hands,  and  all  at  once  they 
both  felt  as  though  they  were  strangers  to  each 
other.  There  was  a  moment  of  embarrassment, 
a  silence  that  could  be  felt.  Miss  Carroll  was 
the  first  to  recover. 

"  And  so  this  is  how  you  come  upon  people, 
without  giving  them  any  warning ! "  she  said, 
trying  to  joke.  "  Is  your  partner  back  again, 
then,  sooner  than  you  expected?  " 

"  No,  I  did  not  wait  for  him.  I  left  the  house 
and  the  business  in  the  hands  of  my  head  clerk." 

"  Were  you  in  such  a  hurry  to  see  me  again?  " 
asked  Dora,  with  her  incurable  coquetry. 

"  You  are  surprised  at  such  a  thing?  Our 
separation  has  seemed  a  light  matter  to  you,  no 
doubt. — No,  it  is  not  that,  though.  I  received 
a  letter  informing  me  that  a  certain  Italian  count 
was  making  love  to  you,  and  I  was  told  that 
the  report  of  your  marriage  with  him  was  being 
spread  about — I  could  never  have  waited  for 
the  mail  to  bring  me  your  denial  of  this.  I 
have  come  for  it  myself." 

There  was  a  certain  authority  which  im- 
pressed Miss  Carroll  in  the  young  man's  tone, 


208  Eve  Triumphant 

but  she  endeavoured  to  fence  with  him,  after 
the  manner  of  women. 

"  And  who  is  the  person,  pray,  who  rendered 
you  this  kind  service?  " 

"  That 's  no  matter — Dody,  for  heaven's  sake," 
exclaimed  Jack,  seizing  his  fiancee's  hands,  "  put 
an  end  to  the  torture  I  am  enduring,  for  it  is 
intolerable! — Tell  me  that  this  flirtation  means 
nothing,  and  that  you  are  still  mine." 

Miss  Carroll,  paralysed  with  shame  and  the 
consciousness  of  her  own  unworthiness,  re- 
mained silent;  her  lips  moved  several  times,  but 
without  uttering  a  sound. 

"  I  wish  I  could,  Jack ! "  she  said  at  last,  with 
an  accent  of  real  distress.  "  I  wish  I  could,  but 
— I  cannot !  " 

Mr.  Ascott  loosed  her  hands  brusquely  and 
stepped  back,  his  face  deadly  pale  and  his 
moustache  quivering. 

"  Then  it  is  true,  this  marriage,  about  which 
people  are  talking?  "  he  asked,  in  a  hoarse  voice. 

"  No,  no ;  there  is  no  question  about  marriage ! 
— No  one  has  proposed  to  me;  but — but — I  can- 
not be  your  wife — now." 

"  Because  you  love  some  one  else?  " 

The  young  girl  blushed  violently. 

"  Because  I  think  that  we  should  make  each 
other  unhappy.  I  like  European  life,  and  now 
that  I  have  tried  it,  I  should  never  be  satisfied 
with  our  life  at  home.  A  discontented  woman  is 
the  most  uncomfortable  creature  in  existence." 


An  Engagement  Broken         209 

"  Ah,  I  understand !  I  understand !  You  have 
been  associating  with  these  European  grandes 
dames,  and  now  you  want  a  title.  If  that  is 
all,  I  can  buy  one.  For  about  five  hundred 
dollars  the  Pope  would  make  me  a  baron — the 
first  American  baron.  It  would  be  very  ridic- 
ulous, but  tremendously  chic.  Baroness  Ascott! 
What  do  you  think  of  it?  " 

Jack  had  made  an  unlucky  hit,  for  this 
was  not  quite  just,  and  the  injustice  of  it  gave 
Miss  Carroll  courage  to  go  straight  to  the 
point. 

"  Well,  then,  you  are  mistaken,"  she  said  drily; 
"  for  if  you  were  a  prince  even,  I  would  not 
marry  you." 

"  You  have  taken  a  dislike  to  me  personally, 
then?  The  result  of  comparison,  no  doubt!  " 

Dora's  better  feelings  were  again  touched. 

"  A  dislike  to  you !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Oh, 
don't  imagine  that,  Jack !  I  like  you  very  much, 
indeed,  and  I  understand  how  good  you  are ;  and 
it  makes  me  suffer  horribly  to  be  obliged  to 
break  my  word,  and  to  cause  you  such  sorrow 
— I  wish  I  were  dead ! " 

The  girl's  accent  of  sincerity  thawed  the  anger 
which  had  been  keeping  Mr.  Ascott  up.  His 
courage  failed  him,  and  feeling  as  though  he 
had  lost  the  use  of  his  limbs,  he  sank  into  an 
arm-chair,  pressed  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  and 
said  in  a  voice  of  anguish : 

"  Dody,  Dody !   is  it  not  all  a  nightmare — 


u 


2io  Eve  Triumphant 

one  of  your  usual  jokes?  Are  you  not  going  to 
finish  up,  as  you  so  often  used  to,  by  telling  me 
you  are  good  again?" 

Miss  Carroll,  who  was  deeply  moved,  shook 
her  head. 

"  I  wish  I  could,  but  it  is  impossible.  Do  not 
try  to  persuade  me.  It  is  better  to  break  it  off 
now  than  to  have  a  Dakota  divorce,  and  it  would 
come  to  that.  Marriages  are  foreordained — peo- 
ple are  quite  right  in  believing  so — and  ours  pro- 
bably was  not.  And,  Jack,  after  all,  I  am  not 
worth  so  much  regret,"  added  Miss  Carroll,  with 
the  most  extraordinary  humility.  "  There  are 
plenty  of  girls  more  beautiful  and  better  than 
I  am.  I  know  twenty,  at  least,  who  would  be 
proud  to  be  your  wife,  and  who  would  be  able 
to  make  you  happy." 

"  That  may  be,  but  as  far  as 'I  am  concerned, 
they  do  not  exist." 

"  You  will  forget ;  men  always  forget." 

"You  think  so?" 

"  Yes ;  they  have  a  hundred  chances  of  forget- 
ting— a  hundred  ways." 

"  That  is  so !    Gambling — drink — suicide." 

"  Oh,  Jack,  hush !  Promise  me  that  you  will 
never  stoop  to  such  horrible,  degrading  things." 

"  I  promise  you  nothing,"  answered  Mr.  As- 
cott,  clenching  more  tightly  still  the  arms  of  his 
chair.  "  I  do  not  know  of  what  I  am  capable 
now.  Perhaps  I  am  better,  and  perhaps  worse, 
than  I  fancy.  Time  will  prove.  It  is  my  fault ; 


An  Engagement  Broken          211 

I  was  very  much  to  blame.  I  ought  not  to 
have  let  you  come  alone  to  Europe;  but  I  had 
such  confidence  in  you!  I  thought  you  loved 
me." 

"  I  thought  so  too,  or  I  should  not  have  ac- 
cepted you.  I  know  now,  though,  that  the  feel- 
ing I  had,  and  which  I  still  have  for  you,  is 
not  love." 

"  You  know  that?  "  asked  Jack,  his  face  drawn 
with  grief. 

Dora  nodded. 

"  Then  it  really  is  too  late,"  said  Mr.  Ascott, 
getting  up. 

The  young  girl  followed  his  example. 

"  Yes,  it  is  too  late.  I  must  give  you  this 
back,"  and,  very  pale  with  emotion,  she  drew 
off  her  engagement  ring — the  ring  she  had  worn 
for  two  years — and  held  it  out  to  Jack. 

He  took  it,  and,  obeying  an  irresistible  impulse 
of  grief  and  anger,  flung  it  into  the  grate,  where 
a  huge  fire  was  burning.  Miss  Carroll  uttered 
a  cry,  and  instinctively  seized  the  tongs  in  order 
to  pull  it  out  of  the  flames.  Mr.  Ascott  put  his 
hand  firmly  on  her  arm  and  held  her  back. 

"  Leave  it  alone !  "  he  said ;  "  you  have  no 
longer  the  right  to  touch  it.  I  wish  it  to  be 
destroyed."  And  then,  with  stinging  irony,  he 
added :  "  That  is  a  woman  all  over !  She  rushes  to 
save  a  trinket  from  destruction,  and  she  sends  a 
man  straight  there.  God  forgive  you — I  cannot !  " 
And  with  these  words  Jack  went  away  without 


212  Eve  Triumphant 

even  looking  at  her  again ;  while  Dora,  as  though 
petrified,  stood  still  with  the  tongs  in  her  hand, 
gazing  into  the  fierce  fire,  and  feeling  as  though 
something  of  herself  were  being  consumed.  She 
drew  herself  up  at  last,  her  face  very  pale,  and 
then,  letting  the  fire-irons  fall  from  her  hand, 
and  trembling  all  over  with  nervous  excitement, 
she  sank  into  an  arm-chair,  murmuring: 

"  It  is  horrible  I  perfectly  horrible !  " 

The  tears  streamed  from  her  bright,  mocking 
eyes.  She  wiped  them  away  furiously;  but  to 
her  honour  let  it  be  said  that  they  continued  to 
flow.  A  minute  later  Mrs.  Ronald  burst  into  the 
room. 

"  What 's  the  matter?  "  she  asked.  "  Jack's 
card  has  just  been  brought  to  me,  and  on  it 
he  has  written :  '  I  am  going  back — do  not  want 
to  see  any  one! '  Have  you  been  quarrelling?  " 

"  We  have  done  more  than  that — we  have 
broken  off  our  engagement,"  answered  Miss 
Carroll,  turning  her  head  away. 

Helen's  face  changed  as  though  she  had  re- 
ceived a  blow. 

"  You  have  given  him  up!    How  infamous! " 

This  word  was  enough  to  put  Dora  on  her 
mettle,  and  to  rouse  into  action  the  fine  power 
of  defence  and  attack  which  she  possessed. 

" '  Infamous ! ' "  she  repeated.  "  I  do  not  see 
that.  When  one  is  convinced  that  one  does 
not  love  a  man  enough,  it  is  better  not  to  marry 
him." 


An  Engagement  Broken          213 

"  And  this  conviction  has  come  to  you  since 
you  knew  Monsieur  Sant'  Anna?  " 

"  Perhaps !  By  the  bye,  was  it  you  who  wrote 
to  Jack?  " 

"  I  did." 

"  You  had  no  right  to  interfere  in  my  affairs." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon ;  it  was  my  duty  to  warn 
Jack,  and  all  my  life  long  I  shall  regret  not 
having  done  so  in  time.  I  would  never  have 
believed,  though,  that  the  ambition  to  become  a 
countess  would  have  driven  you  to  do  such  a 
mean  thing." 

"  The  ambition  to  become  a  countess !  Mon- 
sieur Sant'  Anna  does  not  need  a  title  to  get 
into  a  woman's  good  graces.  You  know  that 
very  well,  considering  that  you  flirted  with  him 
yourself.  I  '11  be  bound  that  if  you  had  been 
engaged  to  Henry,  instead  of  being  his  wife,  you 
would  have  given  him  up  and  acted  as  I  have 
done,"  said  Miss  Carroll,  with  her  unconscious 
brutality. 

Helen  turned  white. 

"  You  are  mad,"  she  said. 

"  I  shall  certainly  be  glad  to  have  a  title," 
continued  the  young  girl,  "  I  do  not  deny  it ;  but 
as  to  marrying  any  one  for  the  sake  of  that — 
never ! " 

"  Then  you  are  reckoning  on  marrying  Mon- 
sieur Sant'  Anna?  " 

"  If  he  asks  me — yes." 

"  He  will  certainly  ask  for  your  fortune." 


214  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Well,  I  will  give  it  to  him,  then — I  will 
certainly  give  it  to  him ! "  cried  Dora,  with 
childish  anger. 

"You  love  him,  then?" 

"  I  love  him — yes,  I  love  him !  Oh,  certainly 
I  do ! "  said  Miss  Carroll,  a  gentle  expression 
coining  suddenly  into  her  face. 

"  When  you  have  accepted  him,  I  shall  leave 
Rome.  I  will  not  witness  a  marriage  which  will 
spoil  Jack's  whole  life."  And  with  these  words, 
uttered  in  a  cold,  cutting  tone,  although  her  lips 
were  quivering  with  emotion,  Mrs.  Ronald  left 
the  room. 

Dora,  who  was  holding  her  handkerchief,  still 
wet  with  tears,  by  the  two  corners,  twisted  it 
round  and  round,  turned  it  more  quickly  still 
until  it  was  like  a  string,  and  then,  tying  it  up 
furiously  in  a  knot,  she  flung  it  into  the  middle 
of  the  room,  exclaiming  again : 

"  I  wish  I  were  dead !  Oh,  I  do  wish  I  were 
dead!" 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    CULMINATION    OF    A    ROMANCE 

WHEN  starting  for  the  veglione  at  the  Con- 
stanzi  Theatre,  Sant'  Anna  little  thought 
that  he  should  be  led  on  to  make  Miss  Carroll 
a  formal  declaration.  On  finding  himself  in  the 
dim  light  of  a  pit  box,  tete-a-tete  with  the  grace- 
ful girl  in  her  domino,  the  souvenir  of  other 
adventures,  and  the  fascination  of  the  mask,  had 
given  him  a  sort  of  intoxicated  feeling,  and, 
without  intending  it,  he  had  pronounced  those 
decisive  words.  Although  Dora  had  not  in- 
spired him  with  an  ardent  passion  such  as  he 
had  known,  he  was  very  much  in  love  with  her, 
and  wished  for  nothing  better  than  to  marry  her. 
The  idea  of  winning  from  another  man  a  fiancee 
who  was  probably  dear  to  him  did  not  cause 
Lelo  any  very  serious  remorse.  He  would  have 
preferred  that  there  had  been  no  Jack  in  Miss 
Carroll's  life,  but  this  particular  one  did  not 
trouble  him  much.  From  the  very  first  he  had 
soon  guessed  that  Dora's  feeling  for  Mr.  Ascott 
was  merely  that  of  sincere  friendship.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-three,  emancipated  as  she  was,  she 

215 


2i6  Eve  Triumphant 

knew  less  about  love  than  an  Italian  girl  of 
fourteen.  And  it  was  he  who  had  been  the  first 
to  initiate  her,  to  arouse  within  her  her  "  femin- 
ity." This  idea  flattered  and  delighted  him  in 
the  extreme,  as  a  man,  and  especially  an  Italian, 
is  more  jealous  about  the  first  awakening  of  love 
than  about  love  itself.  Lelo  had  decided  to  pro- 
pose to  the  young  American  girl,  but  the  thought 
of  the  grief  that  he  would  thus  cause  his  mother 
and  the  Princess  Marina,  and  still  more  the 
dread  of  the  scenes  and  reproaches  in  store  for 
him,  would  have  made  him  postpone  taking  any 
official  step  in  the  matter,  if  Fate  had  not 
driven  him  to  it.  He  had  always  looked  upon 
marriage  as  a  stern  necessity,  a  terrible  risk. 
He  had  very  slight  faith  in  feminine  integrity; 
the  majority  of  girls  had  hitherto  inspired  him 
with  an  invincible  distrust,  and  now,  after  a 
few  weeks'  acquaintance,  he  was  about  to  con- 
fide the  honour  of  his  name  and  of  his  house  to 
a  foreigner — an  American.  And  here  he  was, 
before  he  had  had  time  to  think  what  he  was 
doing  or  to  discuss  the  matter,  taking  upon  him- 
self all  kinds  of  responsibilities.  He  was  per- 
fectly amazed  when  he  thought  of  it.  How  was 
he  to  reconcile  his  family  to  this  marriage? 
Miss  Carroll's  immense  fortune  might  perhaps 
perform  the  miracle,  but  his  mother  was  so  sin- 
cere in  her  conservative  ideas.  The  best  way 
was  not  to  trouble  about  it  beforehand,  but  to 
trust  to  the  inspiration  of  the  moment.  It  was 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      217 

generally  in  this  way  that  the  young  man  met 
all  difficulties. 

For  two  days  after  the  veglione,  Lelo  was  per- 
fectly unapproachable;  he  was  nervous  and  ir- 
ritable as  only  an  Italian  can  be,  with  a  savage 
irritability  which  kept  all  friends  or  would-be 
intruders  at  a  safe  distance.  He  was  not  to 
be  seen  anywhere  except  at  his  club,  and  there 
he  stayed  for  hours,  lying  back  in  an  easy-chair 
or  full-length  on  a  divan,  a  cigarette  between 
his  lips,  a  far-away  look  in  his  eyes,  living  again 
in  the  past — that  past  to  which  he  must  now  say 
farewell,  and  which,  on  that  account,  had  sud- 
denly become  very  dear  to  him.  In  his  reverie, 
women,  horses,  carriages,  triumphs  in  love 
affairs,  on  the  hunting  field,  and  at  the  gaming- 
table passed  before  him,  one  after  the  other, 
yielding  him  again  sensations  of  happiness  and 
of  gratified  vanity.  Gradually  a  sort  of  mist 
fell  over  these  pitiful  souvenirs  of  the  worldly 
man,  and  Dora's  graceful  figure,  her  eyes,  with 
their  light  pupils  and  curly  lashes,  and  her 
piquant  face,  stood  out  clearly  in  his  thoughts, 
and  he  saw  nothing  but  her — his  future!  She 
appeared  to  him  so  loyal,  so  full  of  life;  and 
then,  too,  she  was  so  safe,  with  her  activity. 
Besides  this,  she  loved  him.  He  had  a  magnetic 
power  over  her,  the  only  power  he  thought  neces- 
sary with  woman ;  the  only  power  which,  accord- 
ing to  him,  can  ensure  her  submission  and 
fidelity.  No,  he  did  not  regret  his  declaration. 


2i8  Eve  Triumphant 

And,  then,  too,  five  millions  for  her  dowry,  and 
double  that  in  prospect!  It  would  be  enough 
to  put  his  house  on  the  footing  of  former  days, 
to  restore  the  historic  Frascati  villa  which  he 
loved  so  dearly,  and  to  enable  him  to  have  fine 
equipages  and  a  first-class  stable.  It  certainly 
was  a  grand  stroke  of  luck. 

And  now,  how  would  Mrs.  Ronald  receive  the 
news  of  this  marriage?  It  was  all  in  vain  that 
she  endeavoured  to  be  mistress  of  herself;  her 
expression  at  times  betrayed  something  more 
than  vexation.  At  this  thought  the  cruel  smile, 
which  was  so  rare  with  him,  and  which  did  not 
seem  to  belong  to  him  at  all,  played  over  his 
lips,  and  was  reflected  in  his  eyes  by  a  hard 
gleam. 

"  We  shall  see,"  he  said,  "  whether  an  Intel- 
lectual Woman  is  not  a  woman  all  the  same." 

It  was,  of  course,  Dora  who  had  explained  to 
him  about  this  new  feminine  type,  almost  un- 
known in  Italy,  and  to  which  the  American 
woman  boasts  that  she  belongs.  In  order  to 
make  her  explanation  more  clear,  she  had  men- 
tioned Helen  as  a  specimen  of  the  kind;  and, 
remembering  the  scene  at  Ouchy,  he  had  taken 
a  sudden  dislike,  which  was  very  masculine,  to 
the  name  and  the  species.  The  young  girl  had 
then  owned  that  she  herself  was  only  very  mod- 
erately intellectual,  whereupon  he  had  con- 
gratulated her  on  this  with  a  warmth  which 
was  most  comical. 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      219 

From  Mrs.  Ronald,  Sant'  Anna's  thoughts 
turned  to  the  Princess  Marina.  To  no  man  is 
the  souvenir  of  his  first  love  dearer  than  to 
the  Italian  of  every  class,  and  Donna  Vittoria 
had  been  Lelo's  first  love.  For  a  few  minutes 
the  thought  of  her  in  the  olden  days  held  him 
spellbound;  the  expression  of  his  face  softened, 
his  eyes  lighted  up,  he  looked  quite  young  again ; 
and  then  all  this  faded  away,  and  the  present 
was  again  victorious.  The  Count  said  to  him- 
self that  he  ought,  before  going  any  further,  to 
announce  his  marriage  to  the  Princess.  Lately 
she  had  questioned  him  a  great  deal  about  Dora, 
and  with  the  idea  of  preparing  her  he  had 
allowed  her  to  guess  his  intentions.  For  a  long 
time  he  had  felt  for  her  only  a  sort  of  friend- 
ship, mingled  with  love,  but  she  still  loved  him, 
and  he  knew  that  all  this  would  be  a  cruel  blow 
to  her,  and  cause  her  infinite  sorrow.  He 
dreaded  witnessing  her  grief,  for  the  sight  of 
a  woman's  grief  affects  a  man  much  more  than 
the  knowledge  of  it  does. 

The  following  day,  before  going  to  see  Miss 
Carroll,  he  went  to  Donna  Vittoria's.  Like  all 
his  compatriots,  Sant'  Anna  excelled  in  scenes 
where  great  tact  was  required,  and  in  this  par- 
ticular instance  he  was  wonderfully  skilful  and 
clever.  He  did  not  fail  to  repeat  the  famous 
Italian  phrase :  "  Ci  vuol  della  filosofia  "  ("  We 
must  be  philosophical "). 

The  Princess  was  not  philosophical  enough, 


220  Eve  Triumphant 

evidently,  to  be  able  to  bear  this  supreme  in- 
fidelity, for  the  tears  streamed  from  her  eyes. 
Lelo  then  reproached  her  with  making  him 
suffer,  and  with  her  lack  of  generosity;  he  rep- 
resented to  her  that  he  could  not  let  his  name  die 
out,  that  his  position  compelled  him  to  marry; 
and  he  added  that  if  she  loved  him  she  ought 
to  encourage  him  in  this,  and  not  make  his  duty 
so  painful  to  him.  He  posed  as  a  victim  to  cir- 
cumstances, and  the  high-born  lady  fell  into  the 
trap  just  like  the  simplest  of  women.  She  be- 
lieved that  her  friend  needed  sympathy  and  con- 
solation, and  so  she  stilled  her  own  sorrow  in 
order  to  comfort  him,  and  he  left  her  with  his 
mind  easy,  and  a  delicious  sensation  of  having 
reconquered  his  independence. 

The  following  day  Miss  Carroll  and  the  Count 
Sant'  Anna,  both  of  them  free,  and  moved  by 
the  supreme  will  incarnate  in  their  hearts,  went 
to  meet  each  other. 

It  was  Friday,  the  day  when  Roman  society 
has  its  rendezvous  in  the  beautiful  gardens  of 
the  Villa  Panfili.  Dora  went  there,  accompanied 
by  Madame  Verga.  The  weather  was  mild, 
quite  springlike.  On  the  hills,  which  one  mounts 
instinctively  in  order  to  get  more  light,  and  to 
escape  from  the  oppressive  feeling  of  the  past, 
one  enjoys  two  exquisite  things — the  light  and 
the  air  of  Rome;  that  clear,  opalised  light  so 
merciful  to  the  grand  ruins,  and  that  air,  so 
strangely  silent,  impregnated  with  a  singular 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      221 

morbidness  which  makes  one  feel  a  sort  of 
voluptuous  fatigue.  For  the  first  time  Miss  Car- 
roll was  affected  by  this  particular  atmosphere. 
As  she  walked  along  on  the  daisy-covered  grass, 
edged  with  flowers  of  bright  colours,  a  quiet 
sadness  took  possession  of  her  which  seemed  to 
silence  her  very  soul.  This  state  of  mind  was 
so  new  to  her,  and  was  so  extraordinary,  that 
she  looked  round  naively  to  see  what  was  causing 
it. 

Suddenly  her  heart  began  to  beat  violently; 
Sant'  Anna,  accompanied  by  his  friend,  the  Due 
de  Rossano,  was  coming  in  her  direction.  When 
she  held  out  her  hand  to  him  and  their  eyes 
met,  she  blushed  in  the  most  foolish  way,  and, 
to  use  her  own  words,  was  quite  ridiculous. 

"  I  have  not  seen  any  one  since  Tuesday,"  said 
Lelo,  addressing  the  Marquise,  so  that  the  young 
girl  could  recover  herself.  "  It  is  very  odd,  but 
after  the  last  veglione  all  the  ladies  disappear, 
and  seem  to  avoid  us.  It  is  as  though  their 
consciences  are  not  very  clear  with  regard  to 
us." 

"  It  is  rather  that  they  are  tired  of  hearing  so 
much  nonsense  and  such  untruths." 

"Untruths!  But  the  mask  often  provokes 
declarations  which  are  very  sincere,"  said  the 
Count,  looking  at  Miss  Carroll. 

"You  think  so?" 

"  I  am  sure  of  it ;  and  I  have  very  good 
reasons  too." 


222  Eve  Triumphant 

Nothing  ever  escaped  Madame  Verga,  and  she 
noticed  Dora's  embarrassed  look. 

"  And  so,"  she  said,  smiling,  "  you  made  a 
declaration  which  was  quite  sincere  at  the 
veglione.  So  much  the  better  for  the  person  to 
whom  you  made  it  " ;  and  with  these  words  the 
Marquise  moved  on  again. 

The  Due  de  Rossano,  who  was  admirably  well 
up  in  his  role  of  confidant,  immediately  mono- 
polised her  by  asking  how  she  had  enjoyed  herself 
at  the  Constanzi. 

Lelo  walked  on  with  the  young  girl,  leading 
the  way  towards  the  avenue  of  evergreen  trees 
which  have  heard  so  many  lovers'  conversations 
in  their  time.  There  was  one  of  those  silences 
between  them  which  one  would  like  to  prolong 
eternally,  during  which  invisible  fluids  are  at 
work,  creating  happiness  and  sensations  that  are 
almost  divine.  Miss  Carroll  had  nothing  of  her 
usual  assurance,  and  was  not  walking  with  her 
nose  in  the  air.  Her  head  was  lowered,  and 
her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ground. 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  I  was  quite  sincere 
the  other  evening?  "  said  Lelo  suddenly,  with  a 
tremor  in  his  voice.  "  I  am  sorry  that  such 
words  as  I  said  to  you  should  have  been  mixed 
up  with  Carnival  talk,  but  they  were  none  the 
less  true — I  love  you  with  all  my  heart ! " 

Dora  managed  to  get  the  better  of  her  emotion. 

"  To  how  many  women  have  you  said  the  same 
thing?  "  she  asked,  in  a  mocking  way. 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      223 

"  To  plenty,  as  you  can  imagine,"  answered 
the  Count,  not  in  the  least  disconcerted ;  "  but 
I  have  never  offered  my  name  to  any  one  of 
them,  and  I  now  offer  it  to  you,  because  you 
have  inspired  me  with  true  love,  and  with  ab- 
solute confidence,  and  also — because  I  know  that 
you  love  me." 

Miss  Carroll,  amazed  at  such  boldness,  turned 
brusquely  towards  the  young  man,  words  of  de- 
nial on  her  lips;  but  on  meeting  the  luminous 
gaze  of  those  Latin  eyes,  the  power  of  which  she 
had  not  hitherto  realised,  she  blushed,  and  could 
only  stammer  out: 

"  Well,  I  never " 

"  You  never  heard  such  an  audacious  asser- 
tion, I  hope?  "  interrupted  Lelo,  smiling.  "  Why 
should  you  be  ashamed  of  this  feeling  which  has 
grown  up  in  your  heart  in  spite  of  yourself — 
oh,  quite  in  spite  of  yourself !  "  These  words 
were  uttered  in  the  most  indulgent,  bantering 
tone.  "  Am  I  unworthy  of  it,  then?  "  he  added, 
suddenly  becoming  serious. 

"  No,  no ! "  protested  Dora,  touched  by  this 
mock  humility. 

"  You  ran  away  the  other  evening  when  I 
asked  you  to  look  into  your  own  heart.  Promise 
me  that  you  will  do  this." 

"  I  have,"  answered  Miss  Carroll,  pulling  her 
veil  in  a  nervous  way. 

Lelo,  struck  by  this  answer,  stopped  short. 
The  two  young  people  gazed  at  each  other  for  a 


224  Eve  Triumphant 

few  seconds,  whilst  a  great  wave  of  emotion 
passed  from  one  to  the  other.  Sant'  Anna  then 
walked  on  again. 

"  And  in  your  soul  and  conscience,  do  you 
think  that  you  can  still  marry  Mr.  Ascott?  " 

"  No !  And  I  have  broken  off  my  engage- 
ment." 

"  Truly?  "  exclaimed  the  Count,  his  eyes  flash- 
ing with  joy.  "  You  are  free?  " 

"  I  am  free,"  said  Miss  Carroll,  not  without  a 
disagreeable  sensation  of  shame. 

"  You  have  written  to  Mr.  Ascott?  " 

"  That  was  not  necessary.  He  arrived  here  on 
Thursday  morning,  and  started  back  the  same 
evening." 

"  Have  you  returned  him  his  ring?  " 

The  young  girl  drew  her  glove  off  slowly  and 
showed  him  her  hand. 

"  Look !  "  she  said,  with  a  nervous  little  laugh. 

"  Oh,  Dora,  you  overwhelm  me  with  joy !  And 
now  will  you  not  consent  to  be  my  wife?  " 

"  You  are  not  afraid,  then,  to  marry  a  girl 
very  much  up-to-date,  very  American,  with  a 
very  independent  character,  and  with  any 
amount  of  faults?  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  afraid.  I  love  you  just  as 
you  are.  You  have  all  the  qualities  I  am  short 
of,  and  we  shall  be  perfectly  well  suited." 

«  Then " 

"  Then,  you  consent?  " 

Miss  Carroll  turned  towards  the  Count,  and 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      225 

on  meeting  the  searching  look  in  his  eyes  she 
blushed  deeply,  and  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  How  can  I  refuse  you  and — myself?  "  she 
said,  with  a  tremulous  smile. 

Lelo  could  not  in  public  kiss  the  hand  which 
had  just  been  accorded  to  him. 

"  Thank  you,  Dora,"  he  said,  baring  his  head 
and  speaking  in  a  serious  voice.  "  You  shall 
never  regret  having  listened  to  your  heart." 

"  I  am  sure  of  that." 

At  this  moment  Madame  Verga,  who  had 
finished  telling  all  the  adventures  of  the  veglione 
night,  discovered  that  the  shade  of  the  ever- 
green oaks  was  gloomy,  likewise  the  ground,  all 
stippled,  as  it  were,  with  sunshine. 

"  Let  us  get  out  of  this  avenue,"  she  called 
out  to  the  young  people ;  "  it  is  all  very  well 
for  lovers ! " 

"  And  who  says  we  are  not  lovers?  "  answered 
Sant'  Anna,  turning  round. 

"Yes,  indeed,  why  should  yon  not  be?  Stranger 
things  have  happened." 

They  all  four  came  out  into  the  light,  and 
the  Due  de  Rossano  glanced  at  Miss  Carroll. 
On  seeing  the  heightened  colour  of  her  cheeks 
and  lips,  the  misty  brightness  of  her  eyes,  and, 
above  all,  her  charming  look  of  embarrassment, 
he  had  no  doubt  about  Lelo's  success. 

When  once  she  was  back  at  the  hotel,  Dora 
shut  herself  up  in  her  room.  For  the  last  two 

days  Helen  had  been  most  cold  with  her,  and 
is 


226  Eve  Triumphant 

her  mother  and  Miss  Beauchamp  had  reproached 
her  severely  about  her  conduct  to  Jack,  so  that 
she  was  not  on  good  terms  with  any  one.  Mrs. 
Carroll,  one  of  those  delightful,  elderly  Ameri- 
can women,  with  silky  grey  hair  and  a  serene 
expression,  was  weakness  personified.  Her 
daughter  knew  that  her  displeasure  would  not 
last  long,  and  that  at  bottom  she  would  not 
object  at  all  to  her  marriage  with  a  count.  She 
was,  nevertheless,  somewhat  startled  herself  at 
the  thought  that  she  was  engaged  again,  and 
she  wondered  how  to  set  about  announcing  a 
piece  of  news  which  no  one  would  expect  to  hear 
so  soon.  In  the  first  place,  she  dressed  very 
prettily  for  dinner,  and  on  taking  her  place  at 
table,  she  ordered  champagne.  The  American 
woman  looks  upon  champagne  as  consecrated 
wine,  and  it  is  with  that  she  always  prefers 
baptising  her  triumphs. 

Mrs.  Ronald  and  her  aunt  had  been  spending 
the  day  at  Albano  with  some  compatriots.  Dur- 
ing dinner  they  told  what  they  had  seen  and 
done.  Dora  only  heard  a  word  here  and  there, 
and,  unlike  herself,  she  was  very  quiet.  Helen 
glanced  at  her  several  times  with  an  anxious  ex- 
pression in  her  eyes.  After  putting  the  dessert 
on  the  table,  the  waiters  left  the  room  as  usual. 
Miss  Carroll  took  some  strawberries  and  played 
with  them,  rolling  them  about  for  a  long  time  in 
the  powdered  sugar  before  putting  them  into  her 
mouth.  Suddenly  she  lifted  her  head,  half  closed 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      227 

her  eyes,  and  then  opening  them,  looked  at  each 
of  her  companions  and  raised  the  champagne 
glass. 

"  To  Body's  happiness ! "  she  said,  her  face 
radiant  with  joy. 

Miss  Beauchamp  and  Mrs.  Carroll  raised  their 
glasses,  and  Helen  imitated  them  mechanically. 

"  Is  it  your  birthday?  "  asked  Aunt  Sophie. 

"  No — my  engagement  day." 

It  was  as  though  these  words  had  struck  Mrs. 
Ronald's  brain,  for  her  fingers  relaxed  their  hold, 
and  the  glass  slipped  from  them  and  broke  into 
fragments.  Her  face  was  very  pale  as  she  looked 
at  the  pieces  of  glass  and  the  spilt  wine. 

"  However  did  it  happen  ? "  she  exclaimed, 
stupefied. 

Dora  laughed. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  never  thought  it  would  give  you 
such  a  shock,"  she  said ;  and  somewhat  anxiously 
she  added :  "  I  hope  it  won't  bring  me  bad 
luck." 

"  But  what  an  idea,  too,  to  make  a  joke  of 
that  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Carroll. 

"  A  joke !  But,  I  assure  you,  never  was  any- 
thing more  serious !  This  afternoon,  at  the  Villa 
Panfili,  Monsieur  Sant'  Anna  repeated  to  me  the 
declaration  he  made  the  other  evening  at  the 
veglione,  and  then  simply  proposed  to  me,  and 
I  just  as  simply  accepted  him,"  added  Dora, 
trying  to  keep  up  her  bantering  tone,  although 
her  voice  faltered.  "  So  much  the  worse  for 


228  Eve  Triumphant 

every  one  who  is  not  satisfied!  For  my  own 
part,  I  am  very  happy." 

"  And  that  poor  Jack !  "  said  Mrs.  Carroll. 

"  Oh,  for  heaven's  sake,  Mamma,  don't  re- 
mind me  of  the  only  thing  that  spoils  my  happi- 
ness. As  I  cannot  help  the  sorrow  I  have 
caused,  do  let  me  forget  it." 

"  I  knew  perfectly  well  how  this  flirtation 
would  end,"  put  in  Miss  Beauchamp  drily. 

"  Really?  You  knew  more  about  it  than  I 
did,  then,  for  I  little  thought  that  such  a  mar- 
riage as  this  was  being  reserved  for  me." 

"  Ah,  you  think  you  are  greatly  honoured,  no 
doubt,  in  being  married  to  a  count.  I  never 
imagined  you  were  such  a  parvenue." 

The  colour  came  into  Dora's  face.  She  was 
not  as  well-born  as  Mrs.  Ronald  and  her  aunt, 
and  did  not  care  to  be  reminded  of  the  fact.  She 
soon  got  the  better  of  her  anger,  though. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  be  very  proud  to  be  Monsieur 
Sant'  Anna's  wife,"  she  answered,  with  her  usual 
calmness,  "  and  I  know  plenty  of  girls,  among 
those  whom  you  consider  as  belonging  to  the  best 
families,  who  will  envy  me." 

"  Oh,  Dora,  do  not  let  yourself  be  carried  away 
by  vanity !  "  said  Mrs.  Carroll. 

"  There  is  no  fear,  Mamma ;  it 's  my  heart 
that 's  affected.  I  am  not  as  vain  as  I  seem." 

"  With  a  character  like  yours,  I  wonder  how 
you  will  put  up  with  all  the  exactions  of  a 
European  husband ! "  said  Miss  Beauchamp. 


The  Culmination  of  a  Romance      229 

Dora  put  her  elbows  on  the  table,  and  with 
her  chin  resting  on  her  hands,  looked  straight 
at  the  old  maid  with  her  piercing  gaze. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  in  love?  "  she  asked,  very 
seriously. 

Aunt  Sophie  turned  crimson,  and  bewildered 
by  the  boldness  of  such  a  question,  merely  drew 
her  lips  tightly  together  without  deigning  to 
answer. 

"  If  you  have  been  in  love,"  continued  Miss 
Carroll,  "  you  must  know  that  love  makes  all 
things  easy  and  all  things  possible;  and  if  you 
do  not  know  that,  why,  take  my  word  for  it,  as 
I  have  just  learnt  it  myself,  and  I  was  not  aware 
of  it  at  all  a  little  time  ago." 

"  Then  you  really  love  Monsieur  Sant'  Anna?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Carroll. 

"  I  adore  him !  "  and  the  young  girl  threw  her 
arms  round  her  mother's  neck  and  laid  her 
cheek  against  hers.  "  Don't  you  worry  yourself, 
Mamma,"  she  continued.  "  Italian  men  make 
very  good  husbands;  you  ask  Madame  Verga. 
Then,  too,  American  women  are  quite  at  home 
here  in  Home.  They  have  built  palaces  here, 
and  married  their  children  into  the  families  of 
princes,  and  they  hold  the  first  places  at  Court. 
I  shall  be  surrounded  with  my  compatriots. 
Then,  too,  it  is  my  destiny,  it  appears.  Just 
think!  I  was  brought  to  Europe,  taken  to  the 
Marquise  d'Anguilhon's,  where  I  must  needs 
meet  the  Vergas,  and  get  drawn  here  through 


230  Eve  Triumphant 

them!  Oh,  yes,  we  are  led  in  all  these  things! 
It  is  no  use  attempting  to  resist.  For  my  part, 
I  do  not  complain;  and  I  am  very  grateful  to 
Providence  for  the  fate  reserved  for  me." 

"  Well,  Helen,  what  do  you  say  to  all  this?  " 
asked  Miss  Beauchamp,  in  an  ironical  tone. 

Mrs.  Ronald  started  slightly. 

"I?  Oh,  nothing!  I  am  listening  and — 
admiring." 

Miss  Carroll  rose  from  the  table. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  she  said  tranquilly. 
"  As  for  me,  I  like  myself  now  better  than  ever." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A  WOMAN'S  SELF-POSSESSION 

INSTEAD  of  following  Dora  into  the  salon, 
1  Helen  went  back  into  her  own  room.  On 
entering,  she  turned  up  the  electric  light,  and 
like  a  somnambulist  who,  in  his  sleep,  goes  on 
with  his  favourite  occupation,  she  seated  herself 
at  her  dressing-table,  drew  the  comb  through 
her  hair  over  and  over  again,  played  with  the 
powder-puff,  smelt  the  lavender  salts,  polished 
up  her  nails,  and  then,  her  mechanical  activity 
gradually  ceasing,  she  sat  there  motionless,  the 
pupils  of  her  eyes  dilated  and  fixed  on  the 
mirror,  but  seeing  nothing.  Dora  and  Sant' 
Anna!  These  two  names,  formulating  them- 
selves simultaneously  and  time  after  time  within 
her  mind,  caused  her  great  suffering;  and  this 
was  reflected  strangely  on  her  face.  Their  mar- 
riage would  take  place,  then !  She  had  not 
thought  it  would;  and  even  now  she  was  trying 
to  believe  it  impossible. 

For  the  hundredth  time  she  recalled  the  scene 
at  Ouchy.  That  marvellous  registering  instru- 
ment which  we  call  Memory  rendered  to  her 

231 


232  Eve  Triumphant 

Lelo's  ardent  expression,  and  all  the  words  he 
had  uttered.  Dora  little  imagined  that  Sant' 
Anna  had  been  in  love  with  her,  Helen,  and 
that  he  had  entered  her  room  one  evening  like 
a  thief!  If  she  were  to  be  told  that,  would  she 
marry  him?  Perhaps  not;  but  there — who 
could  tell ! — for  she  loved  him  foolishly !  What 
had  Sant'  Anna  said  to  her  at  the  Villa  Pan- 
fili?  She  could  imagine  him  bending  towards 
the  young  girl,  speaking  in  his  fervent  voice, 
enveloping  her  with  his  magnetic  gaze.  This 
vision  was  so  painful  to  Mrs.  Ronald  that  she 
got  up  and  walked  about,  in  order  to  dispel  it. 
She  looked  at  herself  in  the  glass  over  her 
mantel-shelf,  and,  suddenly  taken  with  a  shiver- 
ing fit,  which  she  attributed  to  the  cold,  she  rang 
for  a  fire  to  be  made.  As  soon  as  it  was  lighted 
she  held  her  rosy  palms  and  her  feet,  in  their 
silk  slippers,  towards  the  flame.  The  heat, 
penetrating  her,  gave  her  a  sort  of  physical  com- 
fort, which  reacted  on  her  morally.  She  felt 
better,  and  began  to  breathe  more  freely.  Her 
thoughts  then  turned  to  Jack ;  and  she  imagined 
him  seated  in  the  corner  of  a  railway  compart- 
ment, his  hands  in  his  pockets,  his  hat  drawn 
over  his  eyes,  and  his  soul  wrung  with  the  an- 
guish caused  by  Dora's  fickleness,  being  borne 
away  from  her  by  the  forces  of  Destiny.  Full 
of  compassion  for  him,  she  said  aloud :  "  Poor 
boy !  poor  boy !  " 

All  this  roused   in   her  a  strong   feeling  of 


A  Woman's  Self- Possession       233 

anger  with  Madame  Verga.  This  marriage  was 
her  work.  She  had  inspired  Dora  with  the  de- 
sire for  a  title,  and  had  never  missed  an  oppor- 
tunity of  arranging  for  her  to  meet  Sant'  Anna, 
knowing  all  the  time  of  the  girl's  engagement 
and  approaching  marriage.  It  was  abominable ! 
"  There  is  no  doubt  about  it,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  Europe  does  demoralise  American  women !  " 
She  only  hoped  Jack  did  not  believe  that  she 
had  been  an  accomplice.  She  would  write  to 
him  at  once.  What  would  Mr.  Ronald  say  when 
he  heard  that  his  niece  had  broken  off  her  en- 
gagement? He  would  certainly  never  forgive 
her.  And  yet  it  was  his  fault;  for  if  he  had 
come  to  Rome  nothing  of  this  kind  would  have 
happened.  The  idea  that  her  husband  persisted 
in  staying  in  America  irritated  her  again  with 
him.  It  was  seven  months  now  since  he  had 
written  to  her.  Five  months  more  and  she  would 
have  the  right  to  demand  a  divorce,  on  the  plea 
of  his  neglect.  This  thought,  which  had  sprung 
from  the  depths  of  her  soul,  brought  a  deep  blush 
to  her  face.  She — Helen — divorced.  That  would 
be  odd;  and  she  gave  a  little  nervous  laugh  at 
the  bare  idea  of  it.  And  then,  as  though  to 
escape  from  herself,  she  walked  up  and  down 
the  room  two  or  three  times,  and  finally  seizing 
her  writing-case  and  pen,  she  sat  down  near  the 
fire,  feeling  herself  in  duty  bound  to  write  to 
Jack.  By  a  psychological  phenomenon,  which 
was  curious  enough,  the  words  of  sympathy  and 


234  Eve  Triumphant 

consolation  that  she  addressed  to  the  young  man 
did  her  good,  and  soothed  her  as  though  some 
one  else  had  said  them  to  her. 

The  following  morning  Helen,  who  hitherto 
had  only  known  what  it  was  to  wake  up  with 
a  happy  feeling,  experienced,  on  opening  her 
eyes,  that  anguish,  caused  by  hopeless  love,  which 
for  months  and  months  never  left  her,  and 
through  which  her  soul  was  to  be  developed  and 
transformed. 

The  thought  that  the  Count  Sant'  Anna  would 
probably  come  that  very  day  to  make  his  formal 
offer  nearly  drove  Helen  wild.  She  did  not 
want  to  stay  at  the  hotel  and  be  there  when  he 
arrived.  Dressing  herself  in  haste,  she  went  to 
call  on  one  of  her  friends,  and  proposed  an 
excursion  to  Frascati,  which  was  at  once  agreed 
upon. 

Like  all  American  women,  Mrs.  Ronald  be- 
lieved strongly  in  will-power;  she  had  the  most 
exaggerated  faith  in  it,  and  her  own  had  never 
played  her  false,  although  she  had  often  exacted 
miracles  from  it,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Ouchy 
episode.  On  the  present  occasion  she  had  re- 
course to  it  again;  and  in  the  evening,  on  re- 
turning to  the  hotel,  she  was  perfectly  mistress 
of  herself.  Lelo  had  called,  and  she  was  obliged 
to  hear  a  detailed  account  of  his  visit. 

Mrs.  Carroll,  still  under  the  charm  of  his  de- 
lightful manners,  was  enthusiastic  in  her  praises 
of  him. 


A  Woman's  Self-Possession       235 

The  coolness  with  which  Miss  Beauchamp  and 
Helen  listened  to  all  this  did  not  affect  Dora. 
The  joy  she  felt  within  herself  would  have  made 
her  indifferent  to  the  disapproval  of  the  whole 
universe. 

Just  as  Mrs.  Konald  was  preparing  to  go  to 
her  room,  Dora  told  her  that  the  Count  Sant' 
Anna  intended  coming  to  see  her  about  two 
o'clock  the  next  day. 

"  Don't  be  too  disagreeable  to  him,"  added 
her  niece,  "  or  he  might  fancy  that  you  are 
annoyed  with  him  for  marrying — men  are  so 
presumptuous ! " 

Helen  turned  rather  pale,  and  then,  opening 
her  eyes  wide,  she  said,  with  an  affectation  of 
astonishment : 

"  Annoyed  with  him  for  marrying ! — I — but 
why?  " 

"  Ah,  that 's  just  it !  because  you  flirted  with 
each  other.  He  made  love  to  you — probably 
while  waiting  for  me,"  said  Miss  Carroll  in  a 
bantering  tone. 

"  Has  the  thought  of  your  future  grandeur 
turned  your  head?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  it  is  perfectly  right  so  far " 

"  One  would  scarcely  think  so,"  said  Helen 
drily. 

Dora  had  the  most  extraordinary  perspicac- 
ity ;  her  wits  were  as  penetrating  as  the  Rontgen 
rays;  and  the  words  which  translated  her  first 
impressions  frequently  struck  home  and  hit  the 


236  Eve  Triumphant 

mark  exactly.  Those  of  this  evening  stung  Mrs. 
Ronald  to  the  quick.  Good  heavens!  if  the 
Count  were  to  imagine  that  she  felt  any  regret. 
Regret!  That  was  too  absurd!  Yes,  this  mar- 
riage did  annoy  and  pain  her  even,  but  solely 
because  it  would  spoil  Jack's  life ;  and  then,  too, 
Miss  Carroll's  fickleness  would  cause  a  scandal 
which  would  cast  a  reflection  on  the  family. 
She  would  explain  that  to  M.  Sant'  Anna;  and, 
unless  he  were  a  coxcomb  or  an  idiot,  he  could 
not  make  any  mistake  about  her  sentiments. 

Helen  had  such  power  over  herself  that  the 
following  day,  when  the  Count  was  announced, 
she  had  all  her  self-possession  and  dignity  at 
command. 

"  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you !  "  she  said,  in 
a  sarcastic  tone  which  could  not  be  mistaken, 
but  at  the  same  time  holding  out  her  hand  in 
the  most  perfectly  natural  way. 

Lelo  was  for  a  moment  baffled  by  this  recep- 
tion. Dora  had  told  him  that  Mrs.  Ronald  was 
furious,  and  he  had  hoped  to  exasperate  her  in 
such  a  way  as  to  make  her  betray  herself,  in  order 
to  enjoy  his  own  vengeance.  He  was  soon  him- 
self again,  however,  and,  looking  fixedly  at 
Helen,  he  replied: 

"  I  accept  your  congratulations  with  all  the 
more  pleasure  as  I  know  them  to  be  sincere — 
coming  from  you." 

Her  eyelashes  trembled  slightly  and  her  nos- 
trils quivered,  but  she  lifted  her  head  proudly. 


A  Woman's  Self-Possession       237 

"  I  congratulate  you  sincerely,"  she  said,  "  be- 
cause you  are  marrying  an  American.  It  is  not, 
perhaps,  very  modest  of  me  to  say  it,  but  I  do 
think  that  we  are  right-minded  and  intelligent; 
and,  in  fact,  that  we  have  some  good  qualities." 

"  You  have  many — and  the  very  best  ones. 
For  my  part,  I  consider  myself  very  fortunate 
in  winning  Miss  Carroll's  love.  Is  it  true  that 
you  do  not  approve  of  her  choice?  " 

Mrs.  Ronald  did  not  wince  at  this  direct 
question. 

"  It  is  not  her  choice  that  I  disapprove,  be- 
lieve me;  it  is  the  breaking-off  of  her  engage- 
ment. In  America  we  consider  that  almost  as 
bad  as  a  divorce.  I  have  known  Mr.  Ascott  all 
my  life,  and  I  own  frankly  that  I  am  on  his 
side.  He  did  not  deserve  the  treatment  he  has 
had.  He  is  the  most  loyal-hearted  man — one  of 
the  best  men  in  the  world,"  added  Helen,  hoping 
that  these  words  would  be  unpleasant  to  the 
Count. 

"  I  quite  believe  that,"  answered  Lelo  tran- 
quilly ;  "  but  perfect  men  have  not  much  chance 
with  women.  In  spite  of  all  his  good  qualities, 
Mr.  Ascott  had  evidently  not  succeeded  in  awak- 
ening Miss  Carroll's  love.  She  thought  she  loved 
him,  but  she  found  out  her  mistake  in  time." 

"  That  is  possible,  but  the  mistake  is  none  the 
less  regrettable  for  both  of  them.  My  husband 
will  never  forgive  her." 

"  Is  not  Dora  Mr.  Ronald's  niece?  " 


238  Eve  Triumphant 

"  His  step-niece  only." 

Sant'  Anna  laughed  merrily. 

"  But  I  shall  be  your  nephew,  then?  No,  that 
is  too  funny !  Life  is  curious  sometimes." 

"  My  nephew !  "  exclaimed  Helen,  with  the 
most  comic  alarm;  and  then,  grasping  the 
strange  situation,  she  turned  rather  pale. 

"  It  is  so ;  I  had  never  thought  of  that.  I 
have  always  looked  upon  Dora  as  a  younger 
sister,  and  she  has  never  called  me  *  aunt.'  Be- 
sides, she  is  only  my  step-niece." 

"  Well,  then,  I  shall  be  your  step-nephew— 
that 's  very  nice,  anyhow !  Who  in  the  world 
would  have  thought  of  this  the  day  I  saw  you, 
for  the  first  time,  under  the  arcades  in  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli!  Do  you  remember?"  asked  the 
Count,  gazing  at  Helen  with  a  hypocritical 
smile.  "  I  fancied  that  I  was  just  following  you 
of  my  own  free  will,  and  all  the  time  you,  like 
a  good  fairy,  were  leading  me  on  to  a  marriage 
which  I  thought  was  far  enough  off  for  me." 

"  And  for  which,  one  might  add,  you  appeared 
to  have  very  little  vocation,"  answered  Helen, 
who  was  mistress  of  herself  enough  to  be  able 
to  joke. 

"Quite  so;  but  the  vocation  manifests  itself 
when  you  meet  the  woman  who  is  destined  for 
you.  Truly,  my  marriage  began  like  a  pretty 
romance." 

"  I  hope  it  may  continue  and  finish  in  the 
same  way.  Does  your  family  approve?  " 


A  Woman's  Self-Possession       239 

"  My  family,  as  a  rule,  never  approves  of  any- 
thing I  do,"  answered  Lelo,  who  was  still  feel- 
ing bitter  after  a  painful  scene  he  had  just  gone 
through.  "  I  belong  to  another  epoch." 

"  You  belong  to  the  epoch  of  American 
women ! "  remarked  Mrs.  Ronald  sarcastically. 

"  Exactly ;  and  I  congratulate  myself  on  the 
fact.  I  need  a  wife  who  will  infuse  the  new 
spirit  into  me." 

"  Oh,  Dora  will  undertake  to  do  that !  Even 
in  New  York  she  is  considered  too  modern." 

"  The  atmosphere  of  Rome  will  act  on  her 
as  it  does  on  all  your  compatriots.  The  sur- 
roundings in  which  she  will  find  herself  will 
moderate,  without  spoiling,  her  liveliness  and 
her  gaiety,  I  hope.  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  never 
feel  bored  with  her." 

"  There  will  always  be  one  resource  for  you 
— you  can  talk  horses !  "  said  Helen,  with  a  shade 
of  contempt. 

"  But  that  is  a  great  deal — to  have  a  taste, 
or  rather  a  passion,  in  common.  And  so,  truly, 
you  are  not  angry  with  me?  "  asked  Lelo,  scru- 
tinising Helen's  face  in  the  most  merciless  way. 

"  With  you?  Not  at  all !  "  she  answered,  look- 
ing bravely  at  him.  "  You  would  not  have  made 
love  to  Dora  if  she  had  not  allowed  you  to.  I 
always  try  to  be  just." 

"  Try  to  be  indulgent,  too.  Miss  Carroll  is 
counting  on  you  to  appease  her  uncle." 

"  She  makes  a  mistake,  then ;  I  shall  not  do 


240  Eve  Triumphant 

anything  in  the  matter — out  of  loyalty  to  Mr. 
Ascott.  Time  will  settle  everything  without  my 
interfering.  There  is  nothing  for  me  to  do 
except  to  wish  you  plenty  of  happiness." 

"  And  plenty  of  children !  " 

Helen  blushed  up  to  the  roots  of  her  hair. 

"  Oh,  excuse  me !  I  forgot  that  one  does  not 
say  such  things  to  Americans !  " 

"  You  are  right,"  she  answered  coldly. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  courier  announced 
that  the  carriage  was  at  the  door.  The  Count 
rose,  and  Mrs.  Konald  followed  his  example. 

"  I  will  not  keep  you,"  she  said,  "  for  my  after- 
noon is  filled  up.  Good-bye ! " 

Sant'  Anna  took  the  hand  held  out  to  him 
and  kissed  it  deliberately.  He  was  amazed  that 
it  did  not  tremble  under  his  lips. 

"  She  is  furious,  I  am  sure,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, as  he  descended  the  hotel  staircase ;  "  but 
I  '11  be  hanged  if  one  would  think  so."  And 
then,  in  comic  vexation,  he  added :  "  She 's 
devilishly  clever — the  Intellectual  Woman ! " 


CHAPTER  XX 

UNDER  SCRUTINY 

ROMAN  society  did  not  accept  the  Count 
Sant'  Anna's  marriage  with  Miss  Carroll 
without  protest.  The  Blacks  were  strongly 
against  it,  while  among  the  Whites  it  excited 
plenty  of  envy  and  violent  jealousy.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Italo-American  clan,  with  one 
accord,  exulted  openly  at  being  able  to  add  an- 
other great  name  to  its  livre  d'or.  As  to  the 
Countess  Sant'  Anna,  the  news  of  her  son's  en- 
gagement to  a  foreigner  and  a  Protestant  caused 
her  a  shock  which  thoroughly  upset  her  morally 
and  physically.  As  we  have  already  said,  she 
was  a  Princess  Salvoni,  and  the  public  voice 
had  designated  her  brother,  the  Cardinal,  as  the 
probable  successor  to  Leo  XIII.  Donna  Teresa 
had  been  very  beautiful,  and  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  plenty  of  homage.  Eeligion  and  the 
pride  of  a  stern  and  haughty  race  had  preserved 
her  from  those  follies  to  which  the  Italian  woman 
yields  so  easily,  but  which  do  not  leave  their 
marks  on  her  life. 

The  Countess  Sant'  Anna  was  growing  old 
after    the    manner  of   great   Roman    ladies   of 

16  241 


242  Eve  Triumphant 

former  times.  She  was  considerably  behind  her 
epoch.  After  her  daughter's  marriage,  she  had 
modified  her  style  of  living  and  had  taken  up 
her  quarters  on  the  second  floor  of  her  palace. 
She  no  longer  went  out  into  society,  but  society 
came  to  her.  She  received  every  day  after  five 
o'clock,  and  her  salon  was  never  empty.  With- 
out appearing  to  do  so,  she  exercised  great  in- 
fluence. As  the  years  glided  by,  one  after 
another  of  the  crowd  of  admirers,  which  had 
been  the  triumph  of  her  youth,  disappeared; 
but  in  spite  of  her  sixty  years,  she  still  had 
around  her  arm-chair  a  circle  of  devoted  friends. 
Among  the  companions  of  this  last  stage  of  her 
life's  journey  was  the  Marquis  Boni,  who,  like 
herself,  belonged  to  a  former  epoch.  He  had 
for  her  one  of  those  Platonic  affections  which 
have  become  psychological  curiosities,  examples 
of  which  one  rarely  meets  with  now  except  in 
Italy.  He  had  loved  her  as  a  child,  as  a  girl, 
and  as  a  woman,  and  had  spent  his  life  within 
the  magic  circle  of  her  beauty,  protecting  her  in 
an  occult  way,  serving  her  with  indefatigable 
devotion ;  at  the  same  time,  by  his  respect,  keep- 
ing all  scandal  and  calumny  away  from  her. 
For  nearly  fifteen  years  he  had  dined  and 
played  cards  with  her  every  evening.  On  leav- 
ing, he  always  kissed  her  hand,  and  she  invari- 
ably said :  "  Buona  sera,  Marchese;  domanialle 
sette!"  ("Good  evening,  Marquis;  to-morrow 
at  seven! "). 


Under  Scrutiny  243 

This  was  her  usual  invitation,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  was  there,  in  irreproachable 
evening  dress;  and  he  will  probably  be  there 
every  day  until  Death  relieves  him  from  his 
knightly  servitude. 

Among  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna's  intimate 
friends  were  also  Don  Salvator,  an  austere  Jesuit, 
her  spiritual  director;  Monsignor  Capella,  a 
worldly  little  prelate,  with  a  chubby  face;  Dr. 
Masso,  whose  science  was  limited  to  the  treat- 
ment of  Roman  fever,  and  who  was  better  up 
in  archaeology  than  in  medicine.  Lastly,  there 
was  the  indispensable  lawyer  or  avvocato,  whom 
one  meets  in  all  the  families  of  the  Italian  aris- 
tocracy, where  he  is  received,  if  not  on  an  equal 
footing,  at  any  rate  as  a  confidant  and  familiar 
friend.  The  lawyer  devotes  himself  to  this  house 
or  that,  takes  all  its  business  in  hand,  works  for 
its  prosperity,  and  becomes  a  valuable  help  to 
people  who,  with  their  disdainful  ignorance 
about  all  things  connected  with  modern  life, 
wrould  otherwise  find  themselves  defenceless.  He 
acts  in  this  way  frequently  less  as  a  business 
speculation  than  from  an  instinctive  sympathy 
for  his  clients.  Italy  is  perhaps  the  only  coun- 
try in  the  world  where  a  business  man  may 
be  actuated  and  influenced  by  this  mysterious 
power.  These  fedeloni,  or  faithful  friends, 
formed  a  sort  of  court  for  the  Countess  Sant' 
Anna.  Although  they  belonged  to  the  clerical 
party,  they  kept  themselves  well  informed  con- 


244  Eve  Triumphant 

cerning  the  Whites,  and  knew  all  that  was  said 
and  done  in  the  opposite  camp.  They  were  for 
Donna  Teresa  living  newspapers,  and  vied  with 
each  other  as  to  who  should  have  the  best  bndget 
of  gossip  to  bring  her  each  day.  They  all  did 
their  utmost  to  keep  up  her  hopes  and  illusions. 
In  spite  of  accomplished  facts,  she  still  believed 
that,  at  any  moment,  the  Pope  might  get  back 
the  power  in  Home.  By  what  cataclysm  this 
might  happen  she  had  no  idea,  but  no  miracle 
would  have  seemed  to  her  impossible.  She  was 
counting,  too,  above  all  things,  on  bringing  her 
son  back  into  what  she  called  the  right  way  by 
a  marriage  of  her  own  choice,  and  she  had  in 
her  mind  a  young  princess  of  sixteen  years  of 
age  who  was  still  at  a  convent  school.  At  her 
request,  the  Cardinal  had  sounded  the  family, 
and  had  made  sure  that  there  would  be  no  ob- 
stacle raised  on  their  side.  It  was  just  at  this 
time  that  Miss  Carroll  had  arrived  in  Rome. 
Donna  Teresa  was  soon  informed  of  her  son's 
attentions  to  her;  but  she  was  not  alarmed,  so 
far  was  she  from  realising  the  possibility  of 
what  was  to  take  place  later  on.  She  had  always 
felt  an  instinctive  antipathy  to  American  women, 
and  often  declared  that  Lelo  would  never  marry 
one  with  her  consent.  After  that,  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  her  grief  and  humiliation  when  the 
young  man  informed  her  that  he  had  proposed 
to  Miss  Carroll,  and  had  been  accepted.  For 
the  first  time  she  rebelled  against  Providence  for 


Under  Scrutiny  245 

thus  allowing  her  hopes  to  be  so  cruelly  deceived. 
She  treated  her  son  with  a  severity  to  which  he 
was  totally  unaccustomed,  refused  for  several 
days  to  listen  to  him,  hardened  herself  against 
him,  and  overwhelmed  him  with  reproaches. 
She  might,  perhaps,  in  the  end  have  won  the 
day  if  the  young  man  had  not  been  able  to  plead 
his  formal  engagement.  The  amount  of  Dora's 
wealth  did  not  fail  to  impress  the  friends  of 
the  Countess,  and  to  mitigate  their  indignation. 
Orlandi  spoke  of  the  increasing  demands  of 
modern  life,  and  of  the  impossibility  of  Lelo's 
being  happy  without  a  large  fortune.  The  Mar- 
quis Boni  ventured  to  remark  that  American 
women  had  their  good  qualities,  that  they  were 
right-minded  and  made  excellent  wives.  Don 
Salvator  and  Monsignor  Capella  were  ready  to 
admit  that  with  Miss  Carroll's  millions  a  Sant' 
Anna  could  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  Cardinal 
Salvoni  comforted  himself  with  the  hope  that 
the  young  girl  would  be  converted  to  Catholi- 
cism, perhaps;  and  that,  later  on,  in  the  zeal  of 
her  new  faith,  she  would  succeed  in  bringing 
her  husband  back  to  the  Vatican.  Donna  Teresa 
was  both  amazed  and  scandalised  at  the  ease 
with  which  her  trusty  friends,  and  even  her 
brother,  reconciled  themselves  to  this  marriage. 
It  seemed  to  her  that  everything  was  crumbling 
away  around  her — principles,  convictions,  and 
religion  itself;  but  nothing  would  have  overcome 
her  own  resistance  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 


246  Eve  Triumphant 

fear  of  losing  her  son.  In  him  all  her  ambitions 
were  centred.  She  did  not  want  to  give  him 
up  entirely  to  a  foreign  woman,  and  it  was  on 
this  account  alone  that  she  yielded  and  forgave 
him. 

For  the  last  two  months  an  attack  of  rheu- 
matism had  kept  her  a  prisoner.  She  con- 
gratulated herself  privately  that  she  could  not, 
therefore,  pay  Mrs.  Carroll  the  formal  visit 
which  etiquette  demanded,  but  she  consented  to 
receive  her  and  her  daughter,  and  the  day  for 
the  interview  was  fixed. 

Filial  affection  is  very  strong  with  Italians. 
When  a  man  can  thoroughly  respect  his  mother, 
when  he  knows  her  to  be  irreproachable,  his 
love  becomes  a  sort  of  religion.  Lelo  was  very 
proud  of  his  mother.  He  admired  her  beauty  as 
an  old  lady,  her  dignity,  her  rigid  conservatism 
even.  He  lived  with  her,  and  although  he  usually 
dined  out  and  spent  his  evenings  in  society,  he 
always  found  time  to  go  and  ask  for  her  bless- 
ing. After  wishing  her  good-night,  he  would 
bend  his  head,  and  she  would  make  the  sign  of 
the  cross  on  his  forehead  and  say  with  all  the 
fervour  of  a  believer:  " Dio  ti  benedica,  figlio 
mio! "  ("  God  bless  you,  my  son !  ")  She  would 
then  hold  her  beautiful  patrician  hand  to  his 
lips  for  him  to  kiss.  It  was  a  mutual  exchange 
of  all  that  was  best  in  their  souls,  and  this 
maternal  blessing  fell  like  refreshing  dew  on  the 
young  man's  troubled  mind,  soothing  away  all 


Under  Scrutiny  247 

his  nervousness,  and  putting  fresh  hopes  of 
happiness  into  his  heart. 

Now  that  Sant'  Anna  had  obtained  his 
mother's  consent  to  his  marriage  with  an  Ameri- 
can, he  was  astonished  himself  that  he  had  had 
the  courage  to  force  her  hand  as  he  had  done. 
He  was  quite  aware  of  the  fact  that  between 
her  and  her  future  daughter-in-law  there  could 
be  neither  sympathy  nor  understanding.  This 
certainty  did  not  fail  to  cause  him  misgivings 
and  somewhat  dampen  his  joy.  He  had  often 
spoken  to  his  fiancee  about  his  people,  endeavour- 
ing to  make  her  understand  their  characters  and 
their  ideas ;  but  he  soon  discovered  that  the  sense 
of  certain  things  completely  escaped  her.  Dora 
laughed  at  the  idea  that  she  was  about  to  be- 
come the  niece  of  a  cardinal,  perhaps  of  a  pope, 
even.  This  seemed  to  her  irresistibly  funny.  In 
the  presence  of  this  limpid  Saxon  soul,  so  active 
and  brilliant,  and  of  such  a  totally  different 
essence,  Lelo,  who  was,  nevertheless,  no  thinker, 
suddenly  understood  the  Latin  soul.  He  real- 
ised for  the  first  time,  as  though  by  revelation, 
its  depth  and  its  subtlety,  and  was  somewhat 
alarmed  to  feel  that  he  was  so  different  from 
the  future  companion  of  his  life. 

Madame  Verga  had  warned  Miss  Carroll  that 
the  Sant'  Annas  did  not  like  American  women, 
so  that  she  might  expect  to  be  received  rather 
coolly.  The  young  girl  shrugged  her  shoulders, 
the  remembrance  of  her  great  wealth  adding  to 


248  Eve  Triumphant 

her  assurance  and  self-confidence.  Incapable  of 
conceiving  the  hostility  created  by  difference 
of  race  and  religion,  she  fancied  that  the  fact  of 
her  being  a  wealthy  heiress  would  be  enough  to 
ensure  for  her  a  cordial  reception,  and  she  little 
thought  what  moral  force  had  been  used  in  order 
to  persuade  Donna  Teresa  to  accept  her. 

Her  dress  for  this  official  visit  was  the  only 
thing  which  caused  her  any  anxiety.  After 
numerous  consultations  with  her  mirror,  she  de- 
cided on  a  costume  of  light  grey  cloth  trimmed 
with  sable,  and  a  toque  to  match. 

When,  on  the  appointed  day,  Lelo  came  to 
call  for  her,  in  order  to  take  her  to  his  mother's, 
he  thought  she  looked  very  exquisite  and  very 
well-dressed,  but  terribly  modern.  Mrs.  Carroll, 
in  a  well-made  black  gown,  was  perfectly  correct, 
and  could  not  fail  to  make  a  good  impression. 

The  Sant'  Anna  Palace,  which  is  celebrated  for 
the  beauty  and  purity  of  its  architecture,  takes 
up  all  one  side  of  one  of  those  small,  deserted 
squares  in  Kome  where  one  can  still  feel  that 
one  is  living  in  the  past.  Dora  knew  it  well; 
she  had  done  her  utmost  to  admire  it,  but  she 
thought  it  fearfully  sad-looking  and  appalling. 

On  crossing  the  threshold  of  this  habitation  of 
another  epoch,  the  American  girl  was  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  a  sudden  lack  of  light  and 
warmth.  Shivering  slightly,  her  gay  chatter 
gradually  ceased  as  she  mounted  the  wide  stair- 
case, and  her  heart  beat  more  and  more  quickly. 


Under  Scrutiny  249 

Lelo,  too,  was  visibly  nervous,  for  he  knew  that 
much  would  depend  on  this  first  interview.  He 
had  not  wished  to  disconcert  his  fiancee  by  all 
sorts  of  advice  and  warning,  as  he  preferred  her 
to  appear  just  as  she  was.  Her  naturalness  and 
originality  would  charm  every  one,  but  he  feared 
her  irrepressible  frankness,  and  then,  too,  her 
repartees,  which  were  always  too  cutting. 

The  door  was  opened  by  a  very  correct  serv- 
ing-man, whose  functions  were  those  of  butler 
and  footman  combined.  The  Count  gave  the 
names  of  Mrs.  and  Miss  Carroll,  and  the  two 
ladies  followed  him  across  a  wide  hall,  with  high 
carved  seats,  old  tapestry  panels,  and  the  Sant' 
Anna  armorial  bearings  under  a  handsome  bal- 
daquin. They  then  went  through  three  salons, 
leading  out  of  each  other,  furnished  with  sofas, 
chairs,  and  arm-chairs,  placed  against  walls 
which  were  all  covered  with  brocaded  silk  and 
hung  with  pictures,  and  gold  brackets  with  hand- 
some mirrors.  All  these  antique  things,  this 
house,  so  rich  and  yet  so  bare-looking,  so  cold 
and  stiff,  made  Dora  feel  still  more  ill  at  ease. 
On  arriving  at  the  door  of  a  large,  green  salon 
furnished  in  Empire  style,  she  heard  her  name 
being  announced,  and  suddenly  found  herself  in 
the  presence  of  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna,  the 
Duchess  Avellina,  and  Cardinal  Salvoni.  Be- 
tween these  individuals  of  such  different  origin, 
strangers  to  each  other,  whose  destinies  Fate 
had  chosen  to  interweave,  there  was  a  sort  of 


250  Eve  Triumphant 

emotion,  a  passage  of  fluids,  a  rapid  exchange 
of  those  first  glances  which  often  photograph 
themselves  indelibly  on  the  memory. 

The  Countess  Sant'  Anna,  who  was  wearing 
a  long  dress  of  woollen  material,  and  a  lace  cape 
thrown  over  her  shoulders,  had  a  proud,  noble 
face,  with  a  profile  such  as  one  sees  on  a  Koman 
medallion,  framed  in  grey  hair,  which  was  still 
plentiful  and  slightly  wavy.  The  imperious 
line  of  her  eyebrows  accentuated  the  expres- 
sion of  her  piercing  black  eyes,  and  her  severe 
mouth  lent  to  her  face  a  kind  of  rigid  look. 
Hers  was  a  head  which  sorrow  had  not  bowed, 
a  face  which  age  had  not  softened,  and  her  whole 
attitude  was  hopelessly  uncompromising.  Her 
brother,  Cardinal  Salvoni,  had  the  dignified  air 
of  an  aristocratic  prelate.  His  forehead  indi- 
cated power  and  rare  capacity.  His  eyes  were 
often  lowered,  and  when  he  looked  up  they  had 
the  most  rapid,  penetrating  gaze.  His  lips  were 
strong  enough  to  guard  all  the  secrets  of  the 
Church,  and  his  square  chin  impressed  one  with 
the  idea  of  ruse  and  concentrated  strength.  The 
Duchess  Avellina,  Donna  Pia,  was  the  beauty 
of  the  Black  party.  She  had  been  compared  to 
all  the  Madonnas,  but  although  she  certainly 
had  their  pure,  regular  features,  the  resemblance 
went  no  further.  Her  expressive  face  revealed 
an  innate  and  finished  coquetry,  mitigated  by  a 
religious  temperament. 

Dora  did  not  need  many  glances  to  discern 


Under  Scrutiny  251 

the  characteristic  traits  of  these  three  Sant' 
Annas.  She  had  the  strangest  sensation  of 
being  there  under  the  fire  of  a  whole  army  of 
flashing  black  eyes,  and  it  made  her  feel  de- 
cidedly uncomfortable.  Donna  Teresa  invited 
the  two  Americans  to  be  seated,  and  then,  turn- 
ing to  Mrs.  Carroll,  she  excused  herself  in 
French  for  not  having  called  upon  her. 

"  I  have  to  thank  you,  Madame,"  she  said, 
most  ceremoniously,  "  for  accepting  my  son's 
proposal  for  your  daughter,  and  I  hope  that  our 
children  will  be  happy." 

"  I  hope  so,  too ;  they  have  everything  in  their 
favour." 

"  It  must  be  a  great  sacrifice  for  you  to  have 
to  give  your  daughter  to  a  foreigner?  " 

This  remark  naturally  implied  that  the  sac- 
rifice was  reciprocal. 

"  A  sacrifice !  Oh,  do  not  imagine  that, 
Madame !  "  put  in  Miss  Carroll,  coming  eagerly 
to  the  help  of  her  mother,  who  was  nervously 
timid  about  speaking  French.  "  Mamma  was 
almost  as  quick  as  I  was  to  discover  Lelo's  good 
qualities,  and  " — with  a  mischievous  glance  at 
her  fiance — "  she  is  sure  that  he  will  be  a  model 
husband.  That  is  all  she  asks." 

It  gave  the  Countess  a  sort  of  shock  to  hear 
her  son  thus  called  familiarly  by  his  Christian 
name,  and  her  nostrils  quivered  with  pride  and 
annoyance. 

"  And  what  about  you,  Mademoiselle?  "  asked 


252  Eve  Triumphant 

the  Duchess  Avellina.  "  Do  you  think  you  will 
get  used  to  our  life,  and  our  ways  and  customs?  " 

"  Oh,  perfectly  well ! — just  as  the  Princess 
Branca  has  done,  and  the  Marquise  Terrani.  I 
cannot  say  that  I  should  have  done  so  years 
ago,  for  Rome  would  have  frightened  me;  but 
at  present  it  is  so  gay,  so  animated — quite 
cosmopolitan." 

No  word  could  have  been  more  unfortunate, 
and  Lelo,  who  knew  all  the  grievances  that  it 
would  revive,  looked  down  on  the  floor  in  his 
embarrassment. 

"  It  is  true  that  it  has  become  cosmopolitan," 
said  Donna  Teresa ;  "  so  much  so  that  only 
foreigners  feel  at  home  here  now.  It  is  getting 
more  and  more  commonplace." 

"Commonplace!"  protested  Dora.  "Oh,  it 
will  never  be  that !  Just  think,  it  is  not  a  large 
city,  and  yet  it  appears  immense." 

A  flash  of  joy  lighted  up  the  Cardinal's  face, 
and  he  looked  at  the  young  girl  with  a  kindly 
expression. 

"  You  are  right,  Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "  and 
it  is  St.  Peter's,  it  is  the  Vatican  which  makes 
it  immense." 

"  And  the  Colosseum,  too,  and  the  Palace  of 
the  Caesars,"  continued  Miss  Carroll,  with  her 
outspokenness,  which  nothing  could  restrain. 
"  I  discovered  the  fact  only  the  other  day  that 
size  does  not  always  mean  greatness.  On 
looking  at  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  so  perfect  in 


Under  Scrutiny  253 

its  proportions  and  in  its  lines,  our  houses  of 
twenty-five  storeys  seemed  to  me  strangely 
small." 

Donna  Pia  glanced  with  surprise  at  this  girl, 
who  had  ideas  of  her  own  about  people  and 
things,  and  who  expressed  them  so  clearly. 

"  Have  you  seen  all  there  is  to  see  in  Eome?  " 
asked  the  Cardinal. 

"  Nearly,  and  I  have  taken  the  opportunity 
of  showing  everything  to  Lelo  at  the  same  time, 
as  he  did  not  know  Rome  at  all.  I  made  him 
read  me  pages  and  pages  of  Baedeker ;  and  when 
I  saw  that  he  did  not  fight  shy,  I  began  to  believe 
in  the  sincerity  of  his  affection." 

"  You  were  not  far  wrong,"  remarked  the 
Count,  smiling,  "  for  I  have  never  yet  done  that 
for  any  one." 

"  A  Sant'  Anna  studying  Baedeker  with  an 
American  lady — that  is  certainly  a  sign  of  the 
times ! "  said  the  Duchess  Avellina,  with  a  shade 
of  disdain  and  bitterness  in  her  tone. 

"  That  is  true,"  answered  Dora  tranquilly. 
"  Everything  must  certainly  be  arranged  by 
Providence." 

"It  is  impossible  to  doubt  that,"  said  the 
Cardinal. 

"  I  used  to  think  so  vaguely,  but  now  I  am 
sure  of  it.  Just  think!  I  came  to  Europe 
for  my  own  amusement.  I  met  Monsieur 
Sant'  Anna,  and  now,  behold  me  settled  for 
ever  on  this  side  of  the  ocean.  I  keep  rubbing 


254  Eve  Triumphant 

my  eyes  every  minute  to  see  if  I  am  not  dream- 
ing." 

"  I  am  told  that  America  is  the  paradise  of 
women,"  said  the  Duchess  Avellina,  "  and  I  am 
surprised  that  you  should  all  leave  it  so  easily." 

"  Tt  is  in  order  to  try  purgatory,  no  doubt. 
Then,  too,  we  rather  pride  ourselves  on  being 
citizens  of  the  world.  When  we  have  lived  in 
America  as  girls,  and  then  marry  in  Europe, 
it  is  like  being  born  a  second  time.  I  shall  have 
all  kinds  of  new  experiences,  and  learn  another 
language — it  will  be  great  fun!  I  should  have 
been  vexed,  too,  never  to  have  experienced  the 
pleasure  and  excitement  of  the  delightful  fox- 
hunting in  the  country  here.  When  out  of  a 
hundred  and  fifty,  one  comes  in  second  or  first 
— well,  that  is  something — quite  a  triumph !  " 
said  Dora  seriously. 

A  somewhat  mocking  smile  flitted  over  Donna 
Pia's  lips.  The  revelation  of  this  new  type  of 
girl  held  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna  spellbound 
with  amazement. 

"  You  have  some  fine  Catholic  churches  in  New 
York,"  said  the  Cardinal. 

"Yes,  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  and  St.  Leo's 
Church.  Every  one  goes  to  St.  Patrick's  on 
Easter  Day;  the  music  is  superb,  and  all  the 
great  artistes  who  come  to  America  have  sung 
there." 

"  Do  you  like  the  Catholic  rites  and  cere- 
monies? " 


Under  Scrutiny  255 

"  I  think  them  very  beautiful — full  of  poetry. 
The  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  I 
belong,  is  very  much  like  it.  We  have  candles, 
incense,  and  rather  complicated  services.  I  sup- 
pose that,  with  the  exception  of  the  confession, 
it  is  the  same  thing?  " 

Every  word  she  had  just  uttered  showed  the 
distance  which  existed  in  all  spiritual  matters 
between  her  soul  and  that  of  her  fiance's  family. 
Lelo  was  conscious  of  it,  and,  as  though  ashamed, 
kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground.  Donna 
Teresa's  lips  took  a  curve  of  intense  disdain. 

"The  same  thing!  The  service  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church — oh,  no,  Mademoiselle!  Between 
Catholicism  and  other  religions  there  is  the  gulf 
which  separates  truth  from  error." 

"  Ah,  but  then  what  is  error  to  one  is  not 
error  to  another.  I  suppose  that  diversity  of 
religions  is  necessary,  just  like  the  diversity  of 
people  and  things." 

On  hearing  religious  questions  disposed  of  so 
simply,  the  Cardinal  opened  his  magnificent 
black  eyes  wide  in  astonishment,  and  gazed  at 
the  young  girl  as  though  she  had  been  some 
prodigy.  She  appeared  so  unconscious  of  the 
enormous  heresy  she  had  just  uttered  that  he 
understood  the  uselessness  of  attempting  to 
prove  to  her  the  necessity  of  one  unique  faith. 
Mrs.  Carroll,  feeling  that  this  first  visit  had 
lasted  long  enough,  rose  to  take  leave. 

"  As  soon  as  I  am  allowed  to  go  out  I  shall 


256  Eve  Triumphant 

have  the  pleasure  of  calling  on  you,"  said  the 
Countess  politely.  "  One  of  these  days  we  will 
have  a  family  dinner,  which  will  enable  us  to 
get  to  know  each  other  better.  If  the  idea  of 
an  old  woman's  society  does  not  alarm  you,"  she 
added,  turning  to  Dora,  "you  will  find  me  at 
home  every  day  after  five." 

"I  hope,  figlia  mia,"  said  the  Cardinal,  "  that 
God  will  bless  your  marriage.  I  shall  pray  un- 
ceasingly for  you,"  and  as  though  he  wished  to 
take  possession  of  the  soul  of  his  future  niece, 
the  prelate  traced  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  her 
forehead. 

The  Count,  breathing  freely  once  more,  ac- 
companied the  two  ladies  to  their  carriage.  As 
soon  as  they  were  driving  away,  and  she  was 
alone  with  her  mother,  Dora,  still  under  the 
impression  she  had  received,  exclaimed: 

"  What  a  lot  of  black  eyes !  Lelo  says  that 
his  sister's  are  violet.  They  looked  to  me  like 
coals,  and  I  wish  they  were  blue,  green,  or  red 
even — anything  so  that  there  should  be  fewer 
black  eyes  in  the  Sant'  Annas'  home ! "  she 
added,  with  unconscious  irritability. 

Mrs.  Carroll  could  not  help  laughing. 

"  You  don't  appear  delighted  with  your  new 
family." 

"  It  seems  rather  formidable ;  but  I  am  not 
marrying  the  family." 

"  No,  but  I  fear  it  will  be  a  serious  obstacle 
to  your  happiness.  Monsieur  Sant'  Anna's  peo- 


Under  Scrutiny  257 

pie  will  never  understand  you — they  belong  to 
other  times.  I  have  an  idea  that  this  marriage 
is  a  mistake.  Think  it  over;  it  is  not  too  late 
yet." 

"  Yes,  Mamma,  it  is  too  late,  for  I  love  Lelo," 
said  Dora,  her  face  suddenly  taking  a  softer  ex- 
pression. "  I  could  not  be  happy  again,  now, 
without  him.  The  Countess  and  Donna  Pia 
detest  me,  that 's  quite  certain ;  but  I  fancy  I 
have  made  a  conquest  of  the  Cardinal.  I  shall 
be  careful  to  keep  his  sympathy,  for  I  like  him 
as  a  future  uncle.  He  has  such  a  magnificent 
bearing,  and  the  red  cap,  which  seems  like  a 
halo  of  light  round  his  head,  is  very  effective, 
and  I  suppose  it  is  symbolical.  His  sign  of  the 
cross  made  me  feel  quite  strange,  even  through 
my  veil.  If  he  becomes  Pope  I  shall  turn 
Catholic." 

"  Heaven  preserve  us ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Car- 
roll. "  That  would  be  the  last  straw !  " 

After  seeing  his  fiancee  into  the  carriage,  Lelo 
went  back  to  his  mother  to  hear  her  opinion, 
and  so  finish  at  once  with  disagreeable  things. 

"  Well,  and  how  do  you  like  her,  madre  miaf  " 
he  asked,  as  he  entered  the  salon. 

"  You  call  that  person  a  young  girl ! "  said 
Donna  Teresa,  in  a  disdainful  tone. 

"  Well,  she  is  not  a  widow  as  far  as  I  know," 
answered  Sant'  Anna,  laughing  in  a  nervous 
way. 

"  She  might  be — she  has  assurance  enough. 

17 


258  Eve  Triumphant 

I  am  wondering  what  there  is  in  her  to  have 
fascinated  you.  She  is  ugly !  " 

"  Ugly,  with  eyes  and  hair  like  hers !  Oh, 
that 's  enough !  You  are  prejudiced." 

"  Well,  I  don't  dislike  her,  your  American," 
said  the  Cardinal.  "  There  is  a  frankness 
about  her  that  is  rather  startling,  but  which 
allows  you  to  see  all  she  has  in  her  mind.  She 
is  interesting." 

"  If  ever  that  woman  becomes  a  Catholic ! " 
said  the  Duchess  Avellina. 

"  It  does  n't  matter,"  put  in  Lelo  brusquely. 
"  Dora  Carroll  has  all  the  qualities  necessary 
for  making  life  pleasant;  she  is  gay  and  original, 
and  has  an  excellent  character;  and  then,  too, 
she  is  absolutely  straightforward.  I  have  never 
found  her  deviating  from  the  truth,  even  in  little 
things.  Do  you  know  many  girls  about  whom 
you  can  say  as  much?  " 

"  Let  us  hope  for  our  country's  sake  that 
American  women  are  not  the  only  ones  who  are 
sincere ! "  replied  Donna  Pia  drily. 

Sant'  Anna  sat  down  facing  his  mother,  and 
took  her  hand  in  his. 

"  Come,  madre  mia,"  he  said,  "  don't  look  so 
heart-broken." 

"  I  had  dreamed  of  something  so  different  for 
you." 

"  Yes,  I  know  you  had  plotted  and  planned 
a  marriage  which  was  to  bring  me  back,  bound 
hand  and  foot,  to  your  party.  Do  not  regret 


Under  Scrutiny  259 

my  engagement  on  that  account,  as  I  should 
never  have  consented  to  it.  You  have  the  effect 
on  me,  all  of  you,  of  people  who  would  rather 
walk  with  their  heads  turned  round  than  ac- 
tually see  in  front  of  them.  Our  eyes  are  given 
us,  nevertheless,  so  that  we  may  look  ahead." 

"  And  above!  "  said  the  Cardinal. 

"  And  above,  if  you  like.  You  ought  to  be 
convinced  that  the  Church  has  been  definitely 
turned  into  another  way,  and  that  it  must  go 
that  way  now,  whether  it  will  or  not.  When  I 
was  a  child  I  witnessed  a  scene  which  I  have 
never  forgotten.  The  day  when  the  Italians  en- 
tered the  city  I  was  in  the  laundry  with  the 
servants.  They  were  all  huddled  in  a  corner 
like  so  many  frightened  ants,  waiting  in  expec- 
tation and  terror  for  what  was  going  to  happen 
next.  Mary,  my  Irish  nurse,  had  a  little  teapot 
in  her  hand,  the  teapot  she  had  brought  from 
her  own  country,  and  which  she  loved  like  the 
apple  of  her  eye.  She  was  standing  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room,  holding  forth  in  her  droll  Italian, 
and  affirming  that  the  enemies  of  the  Pope  would 
never  enter  Rome.  i  Never !  never ! '  she  kept 
repeating,  stretching  out  her  arm  with  a  tragic 
gesture.  l  God  will  never  allow  it ! ' — God  did 
allow  it,  though,  for  at  that  very  moment  we 
heard  the  victorious  cannon.  The  Italians  had 
entered.  At  the  same  moment,  Mary's  precious 
brown  teapot  fell  out  of  her  hand  and  broke 
into  pieces  on  the  stone  floor,  and  the  poor 


260  Eve  Triumphant 

woman,  heart-broken,  sank  into  a  chair,  the  tears 
streaming  from  her  eyes.  '  O  God,  is  it  pos- 
sible ! '  she  stammered  out ;  *  it  is  the  end  of  the 
world,  then.'  It  was  only  the  end  of  a  system, 
though,"  added  Lelo.  "  At  the  time  I  did  not 
understand  much  about  this  scene,  for  I  was 
only  eight  years  old,  but  as  I  grew  up  the  sense 
and  meaning  of  it  came  to  my  mind.  Many  a 
time  since,  on  thinking  of  it,  I  have  associated 
the  fate  of  the  temporal  power  with  that  of  the 
little  brown  teapot,  for,  like  that,  it  appears  to 
me  to  be  irremediably  broken  to  pieces." 

This  little  story  seemed  to  make  an  impres- 
sion on  the  Cardinal,  who,  with  his  Italian  mind, 
was  naturally  superstitious.  His  face  contracted 
with  pain. 

"  The  Pope  and  the  Church  are  not  any  the 
less  great,"  continued  the  young  man.  "  It  is 
quite  the  contrary.  Just  lately  I  have  often 
taken  walks  with  Miss  Carroll  round  the  Vatican, 
and  in  its  silence  and  solitude  it  has  seemed  to 
me  more  formidable  than  the  Quirinal." 

"  You  honour  us  too  much,  my  son,"  said  the 
Cardinal,  in  a  bitter,  sarcastic  tone. 

Under  the  influence  of  passionate  feeling,  the 
Italian  often  finds  words  and  ideas  which  seem 
to  come  from  a  source  hitherto  unknown  to  him- 
self. The  Count  had  spoken  with  conviction 
and  firmness,  as  he  rarely  did,  but  he  had  not 
succeeded  in  influencing  his  audience.  On  see- 
ing that  his  mother's  face  looked  as  though  it 


Under  Scrutiny  261 

had  been  petrified  with  sorrow,  he  began  to  kiss 
her  hands. 

"  Mother  mine,"  he  said,  magnetising  her  with 
his  eyes,  beaming  as  they  were  with  filial  affec- 
tion, "  forgive  me !  Be  generous !  " 

"  Instead  of  being  able  to  rejoice  about  your 
marriage,  as  I  had  hoped,  I  must  resign  myself 
to  it.  It  is  indeed  hard !  " 

"  You  would  never  have  rejoiced  at  my  mar- 
riage," said  Lelo,  smiling,  "  you  love  me  too 
jealously  for  that.  You  ought  to  be  glad  to  see 
me  marry  an  American.  A  foreign  wife  will 
want  less  of  me  than  an  Italian  would  have 
done." 

The  subtle  mind  of  the  young  man  had  dis- 
covered the  only  argument  which  could  console 
Donna  Teresa.  The  muscles  of  her  face  re- 
laxed, her  eyes  grew  misty,  and  she  gazed  at 
her  son  with  infinite  tenderness. 

"  Oh,  children !  children !  "  she  said  gently ; 
"  what  a  torment  they  are — and  what  a  joy ! " 

"  I  suppose  I  must  call  on  these  Americans?  " 
said  Donna  Pia,  in  her  thin  voice. 

"  Yes,  unless  you  want  to  quarrel  with  me," 
answered  Lelo. 

"Oh,  well— I '11  go!" 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  CRISIS   FOR   MRS.    RONALD 

f<OHE  is  furious,"  the  Count  Sant'  Anna  had 
^  said  on  leaving  Mrs.  Ronald.  What 
Helen  was  experiencing  was  much  more  serious 
and  much  more  painful  than  wounded  vanity. 
After  the  departure  of  her  visitor  she  stood  still 
with  her  handkerchief  in  her  clenched  fingers, 
trying  to  get  a  deep  breath  in  order  to  relieve 
her  heart  of  the  weight  which  seemed  to  be 
oppressing  it,  but  all  in  vain.  And  this  inter- 
view was  only  the  beginning  of  that  Calvary 
which  so  many  women  before  her  have  had  to 
climb  for  the  sake  of  love.  She  had  to  endure 
all  the  congratulations  of  her  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances, and  then,  too,  Dora's  confidences. 
The  young  girl  had  such  a  natural  way  of  for- 
getting that  she  had  been  to  blame  about  any- 
thing, and  of  not  noticing  the  displeasure  of 
other  people,  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  her 
at  a  distance,  and  Helen  had  been  obliged  to 
make  a  sort  of  peace  with  her.  She  was  always 
coming  into  Helen's  room  to  talk  to  her  about  her 
fiance,  her  marriage,  or  her  future  plans. 

Mrs.   Ronald  would  stop   her  ears   in   sheer 
262 


A  Crisis  for  Mrs.  Ronald         263 

desperation  or  endeavour  to  think  of  other 
things.  In  spite  of  herself,  though,  the  words 
fixed  themselves  on  her  brain,  and  when  she  was 
alone  they  came  back  to  her  and  made  her  suffer. 
Instead  of  Jack  Ascott's  very  modern  ring,  Miss 
Carroll  now  wore  the  engagement  ring  of  the 
Sant'  Annas,  a  sardonyx  on  which  was  engraved 
the  family  crest,  with  the  word  "  Semper."  The 
sight  of  this  historic  ring,  which  had  been  worn 
by  a  celebrated  French  beauty  whom  Louis  XIV. 
had  married  to  an  ancestor  of  Lelo's,  made  Helen 
envious,  and  exercised  a  sort  of  fascination  over 
her.  She  had  the  strange  feeling  that  it  be- 
longed to  her,  and  she  wanted  to  try  it  on,  to 
have  it  on  her  finger,  if  only  for  an  instant. 

Every  day  the  Count  lunched  or  dined  at  the 
Hdtel  Quirinal.  Without  desiring  to  win  him 
back,  feminine  instinct  made  Helen  dress  with 
special  care.  His  presence  even  now  gave  her 
happiness  such  as  she  had  never  hitherto  known, 
but  this  happiness  was  mingled  with  bitterness, 
and  she  endured  such  pangs  of  anguish  as  made 
these  daily  repasts  so  many  hours  of  exquisite 
suffering.  Fearing  lest  her  coldness  should  be 
attributed  to  vexation,  she  made  great  efforts  to 
appear  pleasant  and  cheerful;  but  in  spite  of 
this,  her  manner  was  not  quite  natural,  nor  did 
she  seem  altogether  at  her  ease. 

Lelo  treated  her  with  affectionate  familiarity, 
often  addressing  her  as  aunt,  and  this  title,  mak- 
ing her  seem  older,  caused  her  an  irritability 


264  Eve  Triumphant 

which  she  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  control. 
Dora  amused  Sant'  Anna,  but  Helen  interested 
him.  Her  conversation  was  more  connected, 
and  he  liked  hearing  her  talk.  When  she  was 
silent  for  a  time,  he  would  say,  with  a  smile: 
"  How  >s  this,  you  are  mute  to-day?  "  and  these 
words,  simple  as  they  were,  gave  her  the  most 
extraordinary  joy.  Sometimes  her  dazzling 
beauty  made  the  young  man  gaze  at  her,  but 
the  expression  she  had  once  seen  in  his  eyes 
when  he  had  looked  at  her  was  not  there  now, 
and,  realising  this,  she  would  suddenly  be  hard, 
cutting,  and  sarcastic  in  her  remarks.  When 
she  gave  vent  to  her  feelings  in  this  way  he 
would  glance  at  her  with  a  questioning,  sur- 
prised look  in  his  eyes,  and  a  smile  would  hover 
over  his  lips  under  his  moustache,  and  that  smile 
would  wound  her  like  an  insult,  and  haunt  her 
for  days  after.  In  Helen's  predicament,  a 
woman  of  the  Latin  race  and  a  Catholic,  accus- 
tomed to  examining  her  conscience,  would  soon 
have  known  what  her  sentiments  with  regard  to 
Sant'  Anna  meant,  and,  according  to  her  in- 
tegrity, would  have  struggled  more  or  less 
against  her  love,  not  failing  to  get  a  certain 
amount  of  enjoyment  and  keen  pleasure  out  of 
the  moral  combat. 

Helen,  in  spite  of  her  highly  developed  and 
cultured  intelligence,  had  but  a  childish  know- 
ledge of  the  human  heart.  She  believed,  and  she 
was  constantly  saying  so,  that  good  principles 


A  Crisis  for  Mrs.  Ronald         265 

and  superior  education  suffice  not  only  to  keep 
a  woman  safe,  but  to  render  her  invulnerable. 
And  yet,  in  spite  of  these  safeguards,  love  had 
found  its  way  into  her  heart  with  the  unerring 
directness  of  all  the  agents  of  Nature. 

It  was  there,  in  all  its  infinite  power,  there 
in  some  unsuspected  cell,  accomplishing  its  mys- 
terious work,  touching  a  whole  zone  of  her 
brain,  which  had  never  yet  been  put  into  mo- 
tion, awakening  her  senses,  transforming  her 
character.  Society  gatherings  now  made  her 
feel  irritable  and  nervous.  She  was  indifferent 
to  all  admiration,  and  life  seemed  dull  and 
stupid  to  her.  Actuated  by  the  desire  of  get- 
ting away  from  Miss  Beauchamp  and  the  Vergas, 
and  more  particularly  from  Dora,  she  went  out 
for  long  drives  here  and  there,  visiting  again 
places  which  had  interested  her.  It  was  in- 
finitely pathetic  to  see  this  worldly  woman,  with 
her  brilliant  beauty,  one  of  the  ornaments  of 
New  York  society,  wandering  about  alone 
through  the  Colosseum  and  the  Circus  Maximus, 
or  among  the  tombs  of  the  Appian  Way,  trying, 
like  some  poor,  forsaken  creature,  to  cling  to 
something  great.  During  these  solitary  expedi- 
tions, Helen's  worked-up  soul  suddenly  entered 
into  communication  with  that  soul  of  Home 
which  it  is  given  to  so  few  to  know  and  feel. 
The  sight  of  all  these  broken  lines  of  beauty 
and  harmony,  of  these  human  masterpieces  so 
cruelly  mutilated,  filled  her  heart  with  an  un- 


266  Eve  Triumphant 

selfish  sadness  which  seemed  to  soothe  her  own 
sorrow.  The  churches  specially  attracted  her. 
Hitherto  she  had  admired  them  merely  as  build- 
ings, but  now,  without  being  aware  of  it,  she 
seemed  to  be  looking  for  some  one  within  them. 
She  liked  their  odour  even — a  sort  of  odour  of 
the  sepulchre,  of  old  age,  of  burnt-out  tapers, 
and  of  incense  gone  cold;  an  odour  which  is 
peculiar  to  the  churches  of  Rome,  and  which 
would  distinguish  them  from  all  the  churches 
of  the  world.  She  drew  near  to  the  altars, 
watched  the  poor  people  praying,  was  amazed 
at  their  faith,  and  instinctively  raised  her  own 
eyes,  so  full  of  anguish,  to  the  radiant  Madonnas. 
St.  Peter's  impressed  her  strangely.  Neither 
money  nor  genius  has  succeeded  in  making  the 
great  Christian  Basilica  a  place  of  prayer  and 
devotion.  In  spite  of  the  majesty  of  its  pro- 
portions, the  coldness  of  its  marble,  the  severity 
of  its  symbols,  it  appeals  to  the  sense  more  than 
any  other  Catholic  temple. 

Towards  evening,  under  the  Dome  of  the  Con- 
fession, there  are  mysterious  shadows  and  ex- 
quisite lights,  an  ensemble  of  effects  of  visible 
and  invisible  things  which  envelops  one  and 
exalts  one's  faith  or  love.  The  Pagan  soul  has 
taken  refuge  there,  and  neither  masses,  exor- 
cisms, nor  Papal  benedictions  have  succeeded  in 
driving  it  out.  It  still  wanders  about  behind 
the  white  statues,  diffusing  throughout  the  sanc- 
tuary a  sort  of  penetrating  voluptuousness  which 


A  Crisis  for  Mrs.  Ronald         267 

no  one  who  has  been  sensitised  by  a  great  sorrow, 
or  by  some  deep  passion,  can  escape. 

Mrs.  Ronald  felt  herself  becoming  wicked,  as 
she  expressed  it  to  herself ;  and,  often  seized  with 
unaccountable  terror,  she  would  hurry  away  to 
seek  protection  in  the  daylight  outside. 

These  disconcerting  impressions  frightened  her 
and  made  her  think  that  some  serious  illness 
was  threatening  her.  For  the  first  time  she  felt 
herself  alone,  quite  alone,  and  the  persistent 
silence  of  her  husband  irritated  her  more  and 
more.  She  had  imagined  herself  necessary  to 
his  happiness,  and  it  humiliated  her  deeply  to 
see  that  he  could  do  without  her.  He  should 
come  to  her,  or  she  would  never  go  back  to 
New  York. 

This  resolution,  which  she  repeated  to  herself 
twenty  times  a  day,  was  very  painful  to  her. 
She  often  thought  regretfully  of  that  beautiful 
home  she  had  made,  and  which  contained  a  great 
part  of  her  own  self.  At  times  she  had  a  wild 
desire  to  see  it  again,  but  at  such  moments  she 
would  press  her  lips  together  stubbornly,  in 
order  to  conquer  her  weakness;  and  she  would 
make  some  mad  plan,  such  as  to  go  to  India, 
or  to  have  a  divorce,  and  then  settle  down  in 
Paris  with  Miss  Beauchamp.  She  tried  to  recon- 
cile herself  to  Dora's  marriage,  to  accustom  her- 
self to  the  thought  of  it,  but  this  she  could  not 
do;  it  weighed  on  her  like  a  nightmare,  and 
seemed  to  stop  the  free  action  of  her  heart.  She 


268  Eve  Triumphant 

attributed  this  to  her  friendship  for  Mr.  Ascott. 
She  tried  to  believe  that  she  was  staying  on  at 
Eome  on  account  of  the  misconstruction  that 
might  be  put  on  her  sudden  departure,  but  she 
was  in  reality  kept  there  by  the  occult  fascina- 
tion which  Sant'  Anna's  presence  exercised  over 
her.  Her  fine  intellectual  faculties  protected 
her,  without  any  effort  of  her  will,  from  the 
dangers  of  this  fascination.  She  felt  the  need 
more  and  more  as  the  days  went  on  of  escaping 
from  every  one  and  everything;  she  wanted  to 
go  far  away,  and  she  tried  to  find  some  pretext 
for  leaving  Rome  without  Mrs.  and  Miss  Carroll 
protesting  loudly. 

Providence  came  to  her  aid  in  the  most  un- 
expected way.  One  evening,  while  at  dinner,  a 
telegram  was  brought  to  her.  The  idea  that  it 
might  be  from  her  husband  made  her  fingers 
tremble  slightly. 

On  reading  it,  she  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

"  Oh,  what  a  delightful  surprise ! "  she  said. 
"  Charley  is  at  Monte  Carlo,  and  he  wants  Aunt 
Sophie  and  me  to  join  him  there.  It  is  the 
very  thing  I  should  like  most.  We  will  cer- 
tainly go." 

"  I  '11  wager  that  your  brother  has  brought 
Henry  with  him,  and  is  arranging  for  you  to 
have  another  honeymoon,"  said  Miss  Carroll 
thoughtlessly. 

Helen  blushed  violently,  and  her  eyelids 
trembled  as  she  met  Lelo's  mocking  gaze. 


A  Crisis  for  Mrs.  Ronald         269 

"  Henry  is  not  in  the  habit  of  allowing  himself 
to  be  brought,"  she  answered,  in  her  driest  tone. 

"No;  but  in  conjugal  quarrels  the  interven- 
tion of  a  third  party  is  sometimes  very  useful 
in  the  way  of  helping  one  to  maintain  one's  self- 
respect,"  exclaimed  Dora,  with  that  practical 
common-sense  which  made  it  appear  as  though 
she  had  had  plenty  of  experience  in  life.  "  How- 
ever it  may  be,  if  my  dear  uncle  should  come, 
reconcile  him  with  me  while  you  are  about  it. 
I  have  written  to  him  twice,  and  he  has  not 
answered  my  letters.  Oh,  these  perfect  men — 
what  a  plague  they  are !  " 

"  You  are  not  going  to  leave  us  here  alone?  " 
said  Mrs.  Carroll,  with  a  distressed  look. 

"  You  have  the  Vergas ;  they  will  be  a  hund- 
red times  more  useful  to  you  than  either  Aunt 
Sophie  or  I  should  be,"  answered  Helen. 

"  Yes,  but  the  family " 

"  Don't  torment  yourself,  Mammy,"  inter- 
rupted Dora ;  "  we  will  go  and  join  the  family. 
We  have  a  magnificent  plan,  haven't  we,  Lelo?  " 

The  Count  nodded;  and  then,  turning  to  Mrs. 
Konald,  he  said,  smiling : 

"  I  am  sure  you  will  break  the  bank  at  Monte 
Carlo." 

Sant'  Anna  had  spoken  without  thinking  of 
the  proverb  which  promises  good  luck  at  the 
gaming-table  to  the  unlucky  in  love  affairs;  but 
Helen,  remembering  it,  turned  a  little  paler  and 
drew  in  her  lips. 


270  Eve  Triumphant 

Lelo  caught  this  fleeting  expression,  and  was 
more  embarrassed  than  triumphant. 

"  Why  are  you  so  sure  that  I  shall  be  lucky 
at  Monte  Carlo?  "  asked  Helen  boldly. 

This  sort  of  defiance  irritated  the  Italian,  and 
he  smiled  in  a  mocking  way. 

"  Because  I  believe  you  are  capable  of  influ- 
encing even  that  confounded  roulette,"  he  an- 
swered, with  hypocritical  gallantry.  "  It  is  the 
impression  of  a  confirmed  gambler ;  and  if  I  were 
with  you  at  Monte  Carlo,  I  should  blindly  follow 
your  inspiration.  I  assure  you  that  you  are 
capable  of  breaking  the  bank." 

"  I  hope  not,"  remarked  Miss  Beauchamp 
drily. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

AN   INCIDENT  AT    MONTE   CARLO 

/•CHARLEY  BEAUCHAMP  had  never  suc- 
^~J  ceeded  in  driving  from  his  mind  the  anx- 
iety he  had  felt  at  Ouchy.  Although  he  knew 
that  his  sister  had  a  vigilant  chaperon  in  Aunt 
Sophie,  he  was  not  at  all  easy  about  her.  He 
considered  now  that  Mr.  Ronald  was  in  the 
wrong,  and  blamed  him  for  his  obstinacy;  but, 
true  to  the  American  principle  of  not  interfer- 
ing in  other  peoples'  affairs,  he  had  not  said  a 
single  word  to  persuade  him  to  join  his  wife. 
The  sad,  weary  look  which  he  saw  written  on 
his  brother-in-law's  face,  and  which  grew  more 
and  more  accentuated  as  the  days  went  on,  made 
him  hope  that  love  would  before  long  triumph 
over  pride.  In  the  meantime,  the  thought  of 
Helen's  loneliness  made  his  heart  ache  for  her. 
She  was  too  young  and  too  beautiful  to  stay  in 
Europe  without  a  man's  protection,  and  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  his  duty  to  go  to 
her.  He  therefore  began  to  arrange  his  business 
matters  with  a  view  to  a  long  absence,  and  this 
took  him  some  time.  On  hearing  the  news  of 
Dora's  engagement  to  the  Count  Sant'  Anna, 

271 


272  Eve  Triumphant 

he  was  secretly  delighted,  and  experienced  a  sud- 
den feeling  of  relief,  the  cause  of  which  he  did 
not  attempt  to  analyse.  The  announcement  of 
this  marriage  reminded  him  of  Lucerne,  of 
Helen's  flirtation,  and  brought  to  his  mind  a 
whole  crowd  of  souvenirs,  which  made  him 
hasten  the  preparations  for  his  journey.  The 
day  before  his  departure  he  saw  his  brother-in- 
law,  and  said  to  him  simply : 

"  I  start  to-morrow  for  Europe ;  have  you  any 
messages?  " 

"  None  whatever,"  answered  Mr.  Ronald,  turn- 
ing his  head  away  to  hide  his  emotion. 

Upon  this  Charley  set  sail,  and  as  he  did  not 
care  to  go  to  Rome  and  meet  Sant'  Anna  again, 
he  decided  to  stop  at  Monte  Carlo,  feeling  sure 
that  Helen  would  be  delighted  to  join  him  there. 
Nothing  alters  a  woman's  face  so  quickly  as  love 
or  maternity,  and  when  Charley  saw  his  sister 
he  was  struck  with  the  change  in  her. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  you?  "  he  exclaimed 
anxiously.  "  Have  you  been  ill?  " 

Mrs.  Ronald  blushed,  without  knowing  why. 

"  111 ! "  she  repeated;  "  not  at  all  ";  and  then, 
with  mock  alarm,  she  added :  "  Do  I  look  older, 
then — am  I  ugly?  " 

"  No,  but  different." 

"  That  proves  that  you  had  forgotten  me  a 
little,  for  I  am  just  as  I  was." 

Charley  did  not  insist,  but  the  same  feeling 
of  uneasiness  took  possession  of  him  which  had 


An  Incident  at  Monte  Carlo      273 

until  lately  haunted  him  in  the  midst  of  his 
business  affairs. 

The  change  of  surroundings  was  a  great  re- 
lief to  Mrs.  Ronald.  She  was  penetrated,  as  it 
were,  by  the  dazzling  light  of  Monte  Carlo.  The 
music,  the  flowers,  the  blue  sky  around  her  acted 
upon  her  in  the  most  beneficial  way,  and  under 
the  influence  of  all  these  beautiful,  peaceful 
things  her  heart  grew  gradually  lighter,  and  it 
seemed  to  her  that  she  was  just  waking  up  from 
a  nightmare.  Dora's  first  letter  brought  back  all 
her  troubles.  In  this  letter,  every  line  of  which 
contained  Lelo's  name,  the  young  girl  announced 
that  her  marriage  was  fixed  for  the  month  of 
June,  and  was  to  take  place  in  Paris.  At  this 
news,  Helen  manifested  her  indignation  with 
Miss  Carroll,  and  her  sympathy  for  Jack  Ascott, 
in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  a  grave,  troubled  look 
into  Mr.  Beauchamp's  eyes.  She  did  not  notice 
this,  but  the  sky,  the  sea,  and  the  divine  scenery 
before  her  seemed  to  change,  and  to  become  sud- 
denly dismal  and  sad-looking,  and  she  at  once 
attributed  to  the  mistral  the  irritability  which 
grief  had  aroused  within  her. 

By  way  of  diversion,  Mrs.  Ronald  took  to 
gambling,  and  was  soon  fascinated  by  roulette. 
In  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  her  aunt  and 
brother,  she  passed  a  great  part  of  her  time  at 
the  Casino.  She  had  some  extraordinary  runs 
of  luck,  and  exulted  over  them,  forgetting  even, 
for  the  time  being,  Lelo  and  Dora.  She  soon 


274  Eve  Triumphant 

began  to  be  noticed,  and  was  styled  "La  belle 
Americaine."  People  said  that  she  was  a  mil;- 
lionaire;  every  one  thought  she  was  either  a 
widow  or  divorced,  and  nothing  short  of  Mr. 
Beauchamp's  constant  presence  ensured  her 
liberty,  and  kept  at  a  respectful  distance  men 
who  were  on  the  lookout  for  adventures. 

One  afternoon  Charley  had  gone  to  Cannes 
to  see  a  friend  who  was  ill,  and  Helen  went  to 
the  Casino  with  some  acquaintances  of  hers  from 
Boston.  These  people  lingered  at  the  trente  et 
quarante  table,  and  Helen,  who  liked  a  more 
exciting  game,  soon  left  them  and  hurried  on 
to  the  fascinating  roulette.  A  dark-haired 
young  man,  wearing  a  red  necktie  writh  a  huge 
black  pearl  pin,  who  for  the  last  week  had  been 
pursuing  her,  followed  her  now  and  managed  to 
slip  in  just  behind  her.  Mrs.  Ronald  kept  put- 
ting a  little  pile  of  nine  louis  in  the  most  per- 
sistent way  on  to  the  nine,  as  this  number  had 
come  into  her  mind  on  waking  that  morning. 
She  felt  sure  that  it  would  prove  a  lucky  num- 
ber. Four  times  her  expectations  had  been  de- 
ceived, and  she  was  watching  the  croupier  in 
breathless  suspense,  endeavouring  to  influence 
him  by  the  force  of  her  own  will,  when  she  sud- 
denly felt  two  hands  grasp  her  waist  under  the 
deep  cape  she  was  wearing. 

She  turned  round  with  flashing  eyes,  her  face 
pale  with  anger,  and  then,  just  as  if  in  some 
dream,  she  saw  her  husband  suddenly  appear  be- 


An  Incident  at  Monte  Carlo       275 

fore  her,  and  with  a  formidable  blow  rid  her  of 
her  insolent  admirer.  In  the  midst  of  the  con- 
fusion which  followed,  she  heard  distinctly  the 
dialogue  between  the  two  men. 

"  Your  card — your  card — you  must  give  me 
satisfaction !  "  said  the  one,  with  a  strong  foreign 
accent. 

"  I  am  not  answerable  to  you.  I  saw  you 
insult  my  wife,  and  I  have  punished  you  in  the 
American  way.  I  was  perfectly  justified." 

Still  under  the  impression  of  something  un- 
real, of  a  sort  of  horror,  produced  by  the  multi- 
tude of  eyes  all  gazing  at  her,  Helen  seized  Mr. 
Ronald's  arm,  and  clinging  to  him,  allowed  him 
to  lead  her  away.  Only  when  she  was  outside 
the  Casino  in  the  fresh  air  did  she  realise  that 
all  this  had  actually  happened.  Then,  with- 
drawing her  hand,  she  stopped  short,  looked  up 
at  her  husband  with  her  eyes  full  of  astonish- 
ment, and  asked,  in  a  somewhat  hoarse  voice: 

"  Henry,  where  have  you  come  from?  " 

Mr.  Ronald  did  not  answer  immediately;  he 
was  gazing  admiringly  at  the  beautiful  face  he 
had  not  seen  for  so  long. 

"  I  've  come  from  the  train,  dearest,"  he  an- 
swered, with  a  smile,  although  his  voice  trembled 
with  emotion.  "  I  saw  Aunt  Sophie,  and  she 
told  me  you  were  at  the  Casino  with  the  Carring- 
tons.  I  wanted  to  surprise  you,  and  I  arrived 
just  in  time.  I  did  not  know  what  sort  of  a 
reception  I  should  get.  I  have  travelled  with 


276  Eve  Triumphant 

a  hundred-pound  weight  on  my  mind,  and  now 
an  incident  fit  for  a  novel  has  made  you  take 
my  arm  once  more.  It  was  wonderful — 
providential ! " 

Helen  walked  on. 

"  I  thought  you  would  never  make  up  your 
mind  to  come,"  she  said,  rather  coldly. 

"  And  that  I  should  let  the  whole  year  go 
by  without  giving  you  any  sign  that  I  was  alive. 
Why,  you  would  then  have  been  able  to  petition 
for  a  divorce,  on  the  ground  of  my  desertion !  " 

Mrs.  Ronald  could  not  help  blushing,  for  she, 
too,  had  thought  of  that. 

"  Did  Charley  send  for  you  to  come? "  she 
asked,  trying  to  conquer  her  emotion. 

"  Charley !  No,  dearest,  he  does  not  know  I 
am  here.  I  learnt  indirectly  that  you  had  left 
Rome  for  Monte  Carlo.  No  one  sent  for  me.  I 
came  because,  without  you,  life  was  a  burden 
too  heavy  to  be  borne.  I  have  suffered  so  much, 
and  especially  these  last  two  or  three  months; 
I  would  not  for  anything  in  the  world  have  to 
go  through  all  this  again.  We  have  both  of  us 
been  to  blame;  let  us  forgive  each  other." 

The  husband  and  wife  had  arrived  at  the 
Hdtel  des  Anglais.  Mr.  Ronald  went  with  Helen 
to  her  room,  and  when  once  the  door  was  shut  he 
stretched  out  his  arms  towards  her,  and  she  flung 
herself  upon  his  breast.  As  she  listened  to  the 
passionate  beating  of  his  strong,  manly  heart, 
the  picture  of  Lelo,  a  vivid  picture,  rose  up  in 


An  Incident  at  Monte  Carlo       277 

her  mind,  and  the  consciousness  of  her  love  for 
the  Italian  came  to  her  like  a  thunderbolt. 

She  drew  herself  gently  away  from  her  hus- 
band's embrace,  and  then,  gazing  at  him  with 
a  pathetic,  sorrowful  look  in  her  eyes,  like  that 
of  an  animal  at  bay,  with  dry  white  lips,  she 
stammered  out,  without  knowing  what  she  said : 

"  Why  have  you  been  so  long  in  coming — oh, 
why  have  you  been  so  long?  " 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

HER  FIANCE'S  PEOPLE 

LELO  had  expressed  to  Miss  Carroll  a  wish 
that  their  marriage  should  take  place  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  she,  who  had  been  in  no 
hurry  to  become  Jack  Ascott's  wife,  had  con- 
sented to  this  joyfully.  She  had  at  once  written 
for  the  necessary  papers  to  be  forwarded.  Her 
trousseau  had  been  sent  back  to  Paris  from 
New  York,  and,  laughing  as  she  imagined  the 
surprise  it  would  cause  her  seamstress,  and  not 
without  some  shame  and  remorse  herself,  she 
had  ordered  a  coronet  to  be  embroidered  on  her 
linen.  At  present  the  young  girl  was  being  car- 
ried along  by  her  pride,  happiness,  and  vanity. 
She  had  looked  through  the  archives  of  the  Sant' 
Anna  family  and  seen  the  jewels  with  which  she 
would  be  able  to  adorn  herself,  and  she  had 
realised  the  fact  that  she  would  be  a  very  great 
lady  indeed,  equal  to  any  of  the  Roman  prin- 
cesses. What  retaliation  and  what  triumph  for 
her,  Dora,  whom  many  of  the  society  people  in 
New  York  did  not  consider  aristocratic!  With 
the  practical  common-sense  which  characterised 
her,  it  occurred  to  her  that,  from  a  worldly  point 

278 


Her  Fiance's  People  279 

of  view,  she  was  making  a  very  fine  marriage, 
and  that  her  wealth  was  of  very  little  account 
compared  with  what  she  would  gain.  To  her 
credit,  however,  let  it  be  said  that  these  material 
considerations  merely  floated  through  her  brain, 
and  it  was  Lelo  himself  she  loved  beyond  all 
else.  On  seeing  her  so  different  from  what  she 
had  been,  it  was  impossible  to  doubt  this.  While 
love  increases  the  selfishness  of  a  man,  it  dimin- 
ishes or  destroys  it  in  a  woman.  Dora  feared 
to  displease  her  fiance  in  any  way;  she  studied 
his  tastes  and  subordinated  her  own  will  to  his. 
For  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  was  conscious 
of  being  dependent  on  some  one  else,  and  this 
dependence,  instead  of  irritating  or  humiliat- 
ing her,  made  her  proud  and  happy.  One 
thing  alone  disturbed  her  peace  of  mind,  and 
that  was  the  hostility  of  Lelo's  family — a  sullen 
hostility  glossed  over  with  perfect  politeness, 
but  which  she  felt  distinctly.  She  had  dined 
several  times  at  the  Sant'  Anna  Palace,  and  on 
each  occasion  she  had  had  the  impression  that 
she  was  not  liked,  and  that  everything  she  said 
was  misconstrued.  She,  on  her  side,  could  not 
understand  these  people  who  were  so  bound  up 
in  the  past.  They  had  the  same  effect  on  her 
as  so  many  clocks  that  had  stopped,  and  one 
day,  in  a  fit  of  bad  temper,  she  had  declared  to 
Lelo  that  she  would  like  to  send  an  electric  cur- 
rent through  their  minds  in  order  to  refresh 
them,  and  rid  them  of  the  accumulated  pre- 


280  Eve  Triumphant 

judices  with  which  they  were  clogged.  In  the 
Countess  Sant'  Anna's  circle,  Dora  had,  never- 
theless, succeeded  in  making  two  friends — Car- 
dinal Salvoni  and  the  lawyer,  Orlandi.  She  had 
done  her  utmost  to  cultivate  the  sympathy  of 
the  prelate,  whom  she  liked  more  and  more. 
She  felt  instinctively  that  he  was  a  force,  and 
she  had  the  greatest  respect  for  all  force,  just 
as  she  had  an  utter  contempt  for  all  weakness. 
He  always  started  her  on  the  subject  of  America, 
and  then  listened  to  her  with  marked  interest. 
Her  original  outbursts  often  brought  a  fleeting 
smile  into  his  black  eyes,  and  several  times  she 
had  the  triumph  of  seeing  him  come  over  to 
her  side.  Lawyer  Orlandi  was  amazed  at  her 
practical  intelligence,  at  her  mental  and  physical 
activity,  at  the  clearness  of  her  ideas,  and  he 
was  courageous  enough  to  affirm  that  this 
American  would  be  just  the  right  wife  for  Lelo. 
He  took  her  part  always  in  the  cleverest  way, 
and  did  not  fail  to  show  up  her  good  qualities. 
At  her  request  he  had  told  her  the  history  of 
the  Sant'  Annas,  and,  with  the  permission  of  the 
Countess,  had  let  her  know  something  of  how 
their  money  matters  stood.  Miss  Carroll,  who 
treated  her  mother  like  an  elder  sister,  was 
very  much  surprised  at  the  somewhat  cere- 
monious respect  which  Lelo  always  showed  to 
the  Countess.  The  first  time  she  had  seen  him 
bowing  before  his  mother  like  a  little  child,  and 
then  kissing  her  hand,  she  had  remained  speech- 


Her  Fiance's  People  281 

less  with  astonishment,  and  it  had  given  her  a 
slight  pang,  for  she  had  realised  that  her  fiance 
did  not  belong  to  exactly  the  same  century  that 
she  did. 

Dora  had  at  first  wished  to  have  her  marriage 
celebrated  in  Kome,  with  all  the  pomp  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  but  when  she  learnt. that,  as 
she  was  a  Protestant,  the  ceremony  would  have 
to  be  a  private  one,  she  preferred  to  be  married 
in  Paris.  Lelo  was  inwardly  delighted  at  this, 
for  a  wedding  at  the  Nunciature  suited  him  in- 
finitely better.  It  was  an  immense  relief  to 
him  to  think  that  neither  his  mother  nor  the 
Princess  Marina  would  be  present  at  the 
ceremony. 

Lawyer  Orlandi  had  endeavoured  in  vain  to 
obtain  the  cancelling  of  their  lease  from  the 
tenants  who  occupied  the  ground-floor  of  the 
Sant'  Annas'  Palace.  When  Miss  Carroll  heard 
this,  she  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  keep  her- 
self from  dancing  with  joy.  The  prospect  of 
living  in  a  little  old-world  square,  between  walls 
a  yard  thick,  and  under  the  same  roof  as  her 
mother-in-law,  had  appalled  her.  On  seeing  her 
fiance's  disappointed  look,  she  said  to  him  gaily : 

"  Don't  worry  yourself  about  it.  It  is  always 
easy  to  live  like  a  prince  in  Rome;  and  then, 
too,  we  might  build  a  palace ! " 

"  Build  a  palace ! "  exclaimed  the  Count, 
"  when  we  already  have  one  which  is  a  marvel 
of  architecture ! " 


282  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Yes ;  but  it  wants  air  and  light — the  right 
sort  of  light,  too,  for  killing  the  microbes  and 
— the  prejudices,"  added  the  American  girl, 
smiling. 

This  speech  jarred  sorely  on  Lelo's  mind,  and 
he  winced  under  it.  It  was  no  doubt  the  soul 
of  his  ancestors — of  the  Sant'  Annas  of  former 
days — protesting,  as  Mrs.  Konald  had  said, 
against  the  new  spirit  of  the  times,  against 
sacrilegious  modernism. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

LOVE,  THE  TYRANT 

HELEN'S  little  adventure  at  the  Casino  dis- 
gusted her  with  Monte  Carlo,  and  the  very 
next  day  she  wanted  to  start  for  Cannes.  After 
staying  there  a  week,  she  returned  to  Paris  with 
her  husband,  her  brother,  and  her  aunt,  and  they 
all  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Castiglione. 

The  consciousness  of  her  love  for  Sant'  Anna 
had  caused  Mrs.  Ronald  a  sort  of  stupor,  mingled 
with  self-contempt  and  deep  humiliation.  The 
victory  at  Ouchy  had  been  merely  a  defeat,  then, 
after  all.  M.  de  Limeray's  warning — that  pro- 
phetic warning  at  which  she  had  laughed — now 
came  back  to  her  mind.  She  had  tempted  man, 
and  he  had  conquered  her  in  spite  of  herself. 
He  had  won  her  heart  without  her  being  aware 
of  it.  She  had  fallen  into  the  trap  laid  for  her, 
just  like  a  simple  schoolgirl.  At  this  idea  her 
face  flushed  with  vexation.  She  had  fancied 
herself  invulnerable,  and  had  chosen  the  sala- 
mander for  her  emblem.  What  a  living  fraud 
she  was  after  all  and  how  absurd  of  her! 
Furious  with  the  little  innocent  creature,  which 

283 


284  Eve  Triumphant 

had  not  communicated  to  her  its  fire-proof 
quality,  she  flung  the  seal  on  which  she  had 
had  it  engraved,  together  with  the  diamond  and 
emerald  salamander  which  she  had  worn  with 
such  pride,  into  her  jewel-case. 

Helen's  moral  disturbance  did  not  last  long. 
Her  dignity  and  integrity  took  up  arms  against 
the  sentiment  which  was  tormenting  her,  and 
which  seemed  to  her  like  a  blot  on  her  honour. 
She  had  studied  many  religious  beliefs,  and  had 
for  some  time  been  greatly  interested  in  the 
"  Christian  Scientists  " — a  branch  of  which  sect 
is  to  be  found  in  Paris.  She  believed  with  them 
that  through  will-power  miracles  can  be  wrought, 
and  that  the  mere  thinking  of  one's  malady 
aggravates  it  by  reprinting  it,  as  it  were,  in  the 
organism.  Resolutely  she  endeavoured  to  ban- 
ish from  her  mind  all  thought  of  her  unfortu- 
nate love.  But  in  that  curious  duality  of  feeling 
experienced  by  an  individual  when  the  mind  is 
at  high  pressure,  the  love  went  on  living  within 
her,  producing  a  variety  of  sentiments  and  sen- 
sations which  at  times  entirely  obtained  the 
mastery  over  her.  She  laughed  and  talked, 
arranged  about  her  dresses,  and  generally  en- 
joyed herself;  and  all  the  time,  through  these 
acts  of  her  outward  life,  she  could  hear  the  rich, 
mellow  voice  of  the  Italian,  and  see  the  tender 
look  in  his  eyes.  His  flattering  words  and  his 
declarations  of  love  kept  repeating  themselves 
over  and  over  again  in  her  brain.  The  impres- 


Love,  The  Tyrant  285 

sions  she  had  received  at  Lucerne  and  at  Ouchy 
— those  impressions  which  seemed  to  have  just 
glided  through  her  mind — were  stored  there,  and 
now  they  kept  emerging  from  it,  exercising  over 
her  a  sort  of  retrospective  fascination.  Helen 
struggled  in  vain  against  this  occult  force,  and 
one  day,  in  the  anguish  of  her  powerlessness  to 
escape  from  it,  she  exclaimed  aloud: 

"  Oh,  this  is  certainly  the  effect  of  that  hor- 
rible Latin  blood  I  have  in  my  veins ! " 

She  began  wandering  about  in  Paris  just  as 
she  had  done  in  Rome,  perfectly  alone,  going 
wherever  her  fancy  took  her.  A  strange  instinct 
made  her  avoid  the  Avenue  Gabriel.  The  very 
sight  of  the  shady  avenue,  along  which  Sant' 
Anna  had  followed  her,  was  painful  now;  and 
as  she  passed  by,  she  glanced  at  it  in  a  hurried, 
frightened  way. 

In  the  course  of  her  aimless  walks,  she  often 
happened  to  enter  some  church.  The  Chapel 
of  the  Passionists  or  that  of  the  Dominicans  had 
an  irresistible  attraction  for  her.  In  the  mys- 
tical, almost  supernatural  silence  peculiar  to 
Catholic  sanctuaries,  she  felt  instantaneous  re- 
lief. She  had  always  loved  religious  ceremonies, 
and  she  felt  them  now.  The  peals  of  sacred 
music,  and  the  deep,  solemn  notes  of  the  liturgy, 
calmed  her  suffering  now,  just  as  the  cradle- 
songs  of  her  nurse  had  lulled  her  childish  sor- 
rows. Although  she  was  a  Protestant,  she  knew 
all  about  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  whose  fame  is, 


286  Eve  Triumphant 

perhaps,  as  great  in  America  as  in  France;  and 
in  her  moral  distress  she  had  gone  as  far  as  the 
foolish  superstition  of  promising  a  large  sum 
of  money  if  only  she  might  obtain  oblivion. 
With  that  practical  sense  which  never  aban- 
doned her,  she  said  to  herself  that,  since  her 
will  alone  did  not  suffice  to  rid  her  of  this  un- 
fortunate love  which  was  poisoning  her  life,  she 
would  have  to  call  other  forces  to  her  aid.  She 
remembered  that  one  day,  at  Rome,  when  some 
one  had  pointed  out  the  Bambino  (which  to  her 
was  nothing  but  a  frightful  old  wooden  doll), 
she  had  seen  an  aged  peasant  woman,  whose 
eyes  had  shone  with  a  strange  light,  which  had 
transfigured  her,  making  her  wrinkles  disappear 
and  giving  a  supernatural  beauty  to  her  whole 
face.  It  was  probably  the  effect  of  the  woman's 
faith.  And  Helen  recalled  the  ceremonies  she 
had  witnessed  at  the  Convent  of  the  Assump- 
tion, and  that  touching  midnight  mass  at  Blonay. 
There  was  surely,  then,  some  mystic  force  in 
this  old  Roman  religion!  Why  should  she  not 
have  recourse  to  it?  Then,  too,  in  America, 
Catholicism  was  being  discussed  very  much  at 
present.  It  was  making  its  way,  and  was  the 
subject  of  strong  controversy.  She  would  rather 
like  to  understand  it  thoroughly,  if  only  for  the 
sake  of  being  able  to  discuss  the  subject.  She 
thereupon  asked  Madame  de  Keradieu  to  intro- 
duce her  to  some  one  with  wrhom  she  could  talk 
about  it;  and  the  latter  took  her  to  the  Abbe 


Love,  The  Tyrant  287 

de  Rovel,  a  cousin  of  her  husband — an  un- 
attached officiating  priest  at  St.  Clotilde's. '  She 
was  received  by  him  with  paternal  kindness,  and 
she  began  cautiously  by  telling  him  that  she  had 
not  decided  to  change  her  religion;  that  she 
found  the  Catholic  service  fascinating,  but  feared 
that,  with  her  modern  way  of  thinking,  it  might 
be  impossible  for  her  to  accept  the  Church's 
dogmas. 

"  One  cannot  go  backwards,  you  understand," 
she  added,  with  a  serious  expression,  which  was 
very  becoming,  on  her  beautiful  face. 

"  Certainly  not,"  answered  the  priest,  smil- 
ing; "  but  I  do  not  think  that  Catholicism  would 
impede  the  progress  of  your  mind;  on  the  con- 
trary. Anyhow,  I  am  quite  ready  to  help  you, 
and  to  answer  all  your  questions." 

It  was  therefore  arranged  that  Helen  should 
go  every  day,  between  two  and  three  o'clock,  to 
discuss  religion  with  M.  de  Rovel,  and  very  de- 
lighted she  was  at  the  idea  of  having  found  a 
fresh  diversion. 

On  arriving  in  Paris,  Mrs.  Ronald  had  at  once 
called  on  the  Marquise  d'Anguilhon,  and  in  the 
course  of  conversation  had  learnt,  to  her  great 
relief,  that  M.  de  Limeray  was  still  at  Pau.  She 
dreaded  his  penetrating  gaze  and  his  shrewd, 
mocking  smile. 

At  the  first  Thursday  dinner,  however,  to 
which  she  was  invited  with  her  people,  he  was 
there.  It  was  all  in  vain  that  she  kept  a  strict 


288  Eve  Triumphant 

watch  over  herself,  and  endeavoured  to  appear 
gay  and  careless.  He  was  soon  struck  with  the 
change  in  her ;  the  upper  part  of  her  face  seemed 
to  him  quite  different,  her  expression  was  less 
animated  and  softer,  while  every  now  and  then 
there  was  a  gleam  of  suffering  and  anguish  in 
her  large  brown  eyes.  At  times  she  avoided  his 
gaze,  and  then  all  at  once  she  would  brave  it 
with  a  nervous  little  burst  of  laughter. 

Altogether,  she  was  like  a  guilty,  shame-faced 
child,  and  the  old  nobleman,  who  had  in  his 
time  learnt  to  understand  women,  kept  saying 
to  himself:  "Who  is  it,  I  wonder?" 

The  conversation  naturally  turned  on  Miss 
Carroll's  marriage.  The  Marquise  d'Anguilhon, 
who  knew  Sant'  Anna,  declared  that  he  was 
very  fascinating,  and  just  the  sort  of  man  to 
win  favour  with  an  American  girl.  Mr.  Ronald 
was  extremely  severe  in  his  judgment  of  his 
niece;  and  Helen  added  that  Mr.  Ascott  would 
have  suited  Dora  much  better,  and  that  she 
would  discover  that  for  herself  before  very  long. 
In  her  voice  there  was  a  strange  note  of  deep 
feeling  which  did  not  escape  M.  de  Limeray. 
He  questioned  her  about  her  niece's  marriage, 
asked  her  all  kinds  of  details  in  the  most  skilful 
and  persistent  way,  and  drew  his  own  conclu- 
sions. He  then  examined  Mr.  Ronald.  The 
latter  was  just  the  type  of  "  superior  man  "  who 
would  be  considered  ideal  by  intellectual  women. 
He  would  never  satisfy  them,  though,  as  they 


Love,  The  Tyrant  289 

would  feel  instinctively  that  he  did  not  belong 
to  them,  and  often  that  they  did  not  understand 
him  at  all,  hence  their  disappointment.  The 
American  savant  was  manly-looking  and  hand- 
some, with  an  expression  of  intellectual  power; 
but  his  clean-shaven  face  had  that  calm  serenity 
about  it  which  is  only  acquired  in  the  higher 
realms  of  thought.  His  magnificent  eyes,  of  a 
greenish-blue,  with  a  far-away  look  in  them,  were 
the  eyes  of  a  searcher,  and  had  not  that  mag- 
netic light  which  is  kindled  by  human  passions, 
while  the  strong,  severe  mouth  banished  all  idea 
of  sensuality.  It  was  as  though  Helen  had 
guessed  M.  de  Limeray's  thoughts,  for  her  eyes 
had  a  pretty,  affectionate  expression  in  them  as 
they  rested  on  her  husband,  and  her  words  to 
him  were  charming.  This  betrayed  her  hope- 
lessly, and  the  Count  recalled  their  conversation 
on  leaving  Loiset's.  He  saw  her  again  as  she 
was  that  night,  so  fair  and  so  adorable,  walking 
slowly  along  at  his  side,  and  turning  her  serene 
face  towards  him,  beaming  as  it  was  with  the 
joy  of  living.  She  had  proclaimed  herself  in- 
vulnerable, and  had  stopped  a  moment  to  show 
him  her  emblem,  a  little  salamander,  with  em- 
erald eyes,  all  cold  and  glittering,  as  it  nestled 
in  the  lace  of  her  bodice.  He  remembered  the 
warning  he  had  given  her,  and  looking  at  her 
again,  with  an  inward  satisfaction,  which  was 
very  human  and  very  masculine,  he  said  to  him- 
self:  "  Most  certainly,  man  has  had  his  day." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE   COMING   EVENT 

THE  engaged  couple  arrived  in  Paris  the  first 
week  in  June.  Dora's  interview  with  her 
uncle  was  somewhat  stormy,  and  for  the  first 
time  she  did  not  succeed  in  appeasing  or  dis- 
arming him.  He  reproached  her  bitterly  with 
the  dishonourable  way  in  which  she  had  treated 
Jack  Ascott,  and  declared  that  although  he  had 
consented  to  be  present  at  her  wedding,  it  was 
solely  out  of  consideration  for  her  mother. 
Going  still  further,  he  added,  that  when  once 
he  had  fulfilled  this  last  duty  of  guardian,  he  did 
not  wish  to  have  any  further  intercourse  either 
in  a  business  or  friendly  way  with  the  Countess 
Sant'  Anna.  Upon  which  Miss  Carroll  lost  her 
temper,  and  answered  that  Lelo  was  all  she 
needed,  and  that  with  him  she  would  be  able 
to  do  without  every  one  else  in  the  world.  These 
words  had  influenced  Mr.  Ronald's  reception  of 
his  future  nephew.  It  was  strictly  polite,  but 
frigid  in  the  extreme.  The  two  men  examined 
each  other  with  great  curiosity.  The  Count 
thought  that  the  American  looked  like  a  clergy- 

290 


The  Coming  Event  291 

man,  and  Helen's  words  came  back  to  his  mind : 
"  He  is  a  splendid  man."  "  Yes,"  was  Lelo's 
inward  comment,  "  but  he  is  made  for  something 
else  than  love.  I  gave  in  too  quickly,"  he  added, 
with  his  unconscious  Italian  cynicism.  Mr. 
Ronald  could  not  help  admiring  Sant'  Anna. 
This  specimen  of  an  ancient  and  very  fine  race 
could  not  fail  to  impress  him  a  little.  He,  too, 
summed  up  his  appreciation  of  the  other  man : 
"  One  of  the  dangerous  idlers,"  he  said  to  Helen ; 
"  one  of  those  men  who  take  without  any  scruple 
the  wives  or  fiancees  of  others.  A  perfect  nullity 
into  the  bargain;  only  an  empty-headed  girl 
like  Dora  would  prefer  him  to  Jack  Ascott ! " 
These  words,  stinging  like  so  many  lashes, 
though  not  intended  for  her,  wounded  Mrs. 
Konald  to  the  quick.  An  instinctive  anger  took 
possession  of  her,  and  made  her  want  to  strike 
back. 

"  That  is  just  like  you  learned  men !  "  she  said 
disdainfully.  "  To  hear  you  talk,  one  would 
fancy  that  your  deeper  knowledge  of  the  mys- 
teries of  life  would  teach  you  a  nobler  resigna- 
tion; but  when  the  least  thing  goes  wrong,  you 
forget  your  principles  and  your  theories,  and 
are  no  more  philosophical  than  ordinary  mortals. 
You  yourself,  for  instance,  who  believe  that  we 
are  entirely  the  creatures  of  God,  you  are  always 
proclaiming  the  impossibility  of  free-will — why 
do  you  hold  Dora  responsible  for  her  marriage? 
Is  it  logical?  " 


292  Eve  Triumphant 

Mr.  Ronald  was  taken  aback,  and  looked  some- 
what disturbed  in  his  mind  for  a  few  seconds. 
As  soon  as  he  had  recovered  his  self-possession, 
he  laid  his  hand  affectionately  on  Helen's 
shoulder. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said,  with  that  rare  and 
wonderful  smile  peculiar  to  men  who  think 
deeply.  "  Bring  me  back  always  like  this  to  the 
truth,  when  by  the  force  of  habit  I  depart  from 
it.  There  was  to  be  this  infidelity,  probably,  in 
Dora's  life;  and  although  it  may  be  unjust  to 
reproach  her  with  it,  yet  one  cannot  help  regret- 
ting it,  especially  when  it  caused  the  misery  of 
a  good  fellow  like  Jack  Ascott." 

Helen,  appeased  by  these  humble  and  straight- 
forward words,  continued  in  a  gentler  tone: 

"  Really,  everything  that  has  happened  since 
we  left  America  goes  to  prove  that  we  are  being 
led  along  for  purposes  that  we  do  not  under- 
stand. After  all,  when  you  come  to  think  of 
it,  if  the  musicians  in  an  orchestra  were  all  free 
to  execute  their  individual  inspirations,  they 
would  produce  the  most  horrible  mixture  of  dis- 
cordant sounds.  As  we  are  here  in  this  world 
to  execute  the  work  of  the  supreme  Master,  each 
one  of  us  must  arrive  with  his  part  ready  writ- 
ten, and  then,  whether  it  be  beautiful  or  ugly, 
gay  or  sad,  we  must  play  it  through  to  the  end, 
otherwise  all  harmony  would  be  impossible." 

"  Your  comparison  is  very  good,"  said  Mr. 
Ronald,  with  an  expression  of  pleasure  in  his 


The  Coming  Event  293 

eyes.  "  One  can  imagine  the  Universe  without 
light,  but  not  without  harmony." 

"  Oh,  if  only  this  belief  in  the  Inevitable  in 
life  could  be  definitely  fixed  in  our  mind,  what 
rest  and  what  peace  it  would  give  us !  "  said 
Helen,  with  her  pathetic  look. 

And  during  the  month  which  followed — a 
month  which,  perhaps,  was  the  most  excruciat- 
ing in  her  existence — she  clung  desperately  to 
the  idea  that  she  was  living  out  her  destiny. 

On  hearing  that  Dora's  wedding  was  to  take 
place  in  Paris,  her  first  impulse  had  been  to 
escape  from  there;  but,  oddly  enough,  she  hap- 
pened to  remember  the  old  saying  that  in  order 
to  get  the  fire  out  of  a  burn,  one  must  hold  the 
wound  to  the  living  coals,  and  she  made  up 
her  mind  to  try  the  experiment.  It  was  quite 
certain  that  she  would  suffer  terribly  by  being 
present  at  this  odious  union,  but  surely  it  would 
cure  her  in  the  most  radical  manner.  It  was 
impossible  that  she  could  continue  to  love  Dora's 
husband.  That  would  be  too  insane,  too  ridic- 
ulous !  We  are  never  so  cleverly  deceived  as  by 
ourselves;  and  it  was  not  only  the  hope  of  get- 
ting cured  which  kept  her  in  Paris,  but  the 
secret,  unavowed  desire  to  see  Lelo  again. 

The  magnetic  waves  of  love  cause  a  different 
impression  in  every  human  brain,  hence  the 
infinite  variety  of  sentiments  and  sensations  it 
produces. 

Helen's  love  for  Sant'  Anna  was  that  of  an 


294  Eve  Triumphant 

intellectual  and  not  of  an  imaginative  woman. 
Thanks  to  an  imagination  which  self-respect  had 
kept  pure,  and  thanks  also  to  her  American  tem- 
perament, there  was  little  of  anything  material- 
istic in  its  composition.  Although  it  did  not 
manifest  itself  by  wild  passion  and  mad  jealousy, 
it  was  none  the  less  painful.  Strangely  enough, 
it  had  aroused  within  her  a  desire  for  self-sac- 
rifice. Angry  with  herself  for  her  weakness, 
she  had  attributed  this  love  in  her  own  mind 
to  the  Latin  blood  she  had  inherited  from  an 
ancestor  of  hers  on  the  maternal  side,  and  she 
was  not  far  wrong.  It  was  no  doubt  to  this 
that  she  owed  that  sentiment  of  beauty  and  har- 
mony which  had  given  Lelo  the  advantage  over 
her.  Hypnotised  by  the  gifts  which  he  pos- 
sessed, she  considered  him  as  a  superior  being 
whose  faculties  had  not  been  developed  by  the 
necessary  culture.  She  fancied,  without  owning 
it  to  herself,  that  she  could  have  led  him  to 
higher  aims  than  those  he  was  now  pursuing, 
and  all  her  soul  went  out  towards  him  as  though 
she  had  in  reality  been  created  to  complete  him. 
Her  love  was  not  without  alloy.  Absolutely 
pure  love  does  not  exist.  It  is  the  alloy  which 
often  makes  the  force  of  human  sentiments,  just 
as  it  does  that  of  certain  metals.  Helen  envied 
Dora  the  triumph  of  bearing  the  name  of  Sant* 
Anna,  and  the  title  of  Countess ;  she  envied  her, 
too,  the  privilege  of  continuing  an  ancient  race, 
and  this  envy,  also,  was  an  element  of  suffering. 


The  Coming  Event  295 

Now  that  she  was  conscious  of  her  love  for 
Lelo,  his  presence  disturbed  her  peace  of  mind 
more  than  ever.  Whenever  she  saw  him,  for 
the  first  few  minutes  her  voice  was  tremulous 
and  her  nervousness  visible.  He  noticed  this, 
and  watched  her  all  the  time  mercilessly.  He 
delighted  in  gazing  at  her  in  such  a  way  as  to 
cause  her  heart  to  beat  violently;  he  used  and 
abused  the  magnetic  power  he  had  over  her  most 
pitilessly.  His  eyes  would  light  up  with  a  hypo- 
critical expression  of  tenderness,  and  his  lips 
quiver  with  the  joy  of  his  masculine  triumph. 
Helen,  who  felt  all  this  instinctively,  was  never 
long — her  strong  will  coming  to  her  aid — in  re- 
covering her  self-possession,  and  she  would  then 
face  him  with  an  audacity  which  excited  his 
admiration,  and  made  him  long  to  outrage  her 
with  a  kiss. 

To  the  intense  satisfaction  of  Mrs.  Ronald, 
Dora  and  her  mother  had  not  been  able  to  have 
one  of  the  large  suites  of  rooms  at  the  Hotel 
Castiglione,  and  had  been  obliged  to  go  to  the 
Continental.  Unconscious  of  the  torture  she 
was  inflicting,  Miss  Carroll  came  every  day  to 
tell  her  aunt  all  she  was  doing.  She  dragged 
her  about  to  the  dressmakers  and  jewellers,  re- 
peated her  fiance's  tender  speeches,  and  told  her 
of  all  their  fine  projects  for  the  future.  When 
Helen  was  alone  again  she  felt  bruised  all  over, 
as  though  she  had  been  beaten.  She  bore  Dora 
no  malice,  but  her  presence  and  that  of  Madame 


296  Eve  Triumphant 

Verga  caused  her  the  disagreeable  sensation 
which  the  sight  of  an  instrument  does  that  has 
wounded  us.  Nothing  gave  Mrs.  Ronald  such 
relief  as  her  daily  conversations  with  M.  de 
Rovel.  There  is  in  Catholicism  an  occult  power 
which  acts  on  the  soul  as  love  acts  on  the  heart, 
and  from  which  it  is  difficult  to  escape.  The 
convincing  and  persuasive  words  of  the  priest 
very  soon  aroused  in  Mrs.  Ronald  that  vague 
desire  for  conversion  born  of  a  tormented  mind, 
and  one  day  she  asked  her  husband  if  he  had 
any  objection  to  her  becoming  a  Catholic.  Mr. 
Ronald,  somewhat  startled,  looked  at  his  wife 
in  surprise. 

"  Any  objection !  No,  none  at  all !  But  what 
a  queer  idea!  Religions  are  merely  so  many 
spiritual  forces.  Does  not  your  own  suffice?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Helen,  turning  her  head  away. 

"  Then,  my  dear,  turn  Catholic  if  that  will 
please  you,"  he  said,  smiling  as  at  some  childish 
caprice. 

M.  de  Limeray's  society  was  also  an  invaluable 
diversion  for  Helen.  After  the  first  feeling  of 
satisfaction  he  had  had  on  seeing  her  vanquished 
by  the  love  she  had  set  at  defiance,  the  Count, 
who  knew  that  at  bottom  she  was  integrity  it- 
self, felt  a  friendly  sort  of  pity  for  her.  In 
spite  of  this,  the  artist  within  him  revelled  in 
seeing  her  brought  to  perfection  so  marvellously. 
Her  beauty  was  wonderfully  mellowed,  and  her 
present  state  of  mind  had  given  an  entirely  new 


The  Coming  Event  297 

expression  to  her  face.  She  had  been  one  of 
those  women  with  bright,  frank-looking  eyes, 
but  now,  without  being  aware  of  it,  from  an 
instinctive  desire  to  keep  her  secret  and  to  con- 
ceal the  emotion  she  felt,  she  often  lowered  her 
eyelids  with  their  long  lashes.  This  movement, 
veiling  as  it  did  the  large  brown  pupils  of  her 
eyes,  was  so  charming  that  M.  de  Limeray  took 
a  cruel  delight  in  causing  her  to  repeat  it,  by 
fixing  his  gaze  on  her,  or  by  making  some  in- 
tentionally trying  remark. 

By  way  of  diverting  her  thoughts,  he  had 
offered  to  show  her  that  part  of  the  city  now 
known  as  Old  Paris,  and  to  which  he  was  such  an 
excellent  guide.  He  took  her  to  see  the  old  his- 
toric houses  of  the  He-Saint  Louis  and  of  the 
Marais,  and  told  her  all  about  them,  glad  to 
be  able  in  this  way  to  make  her  forget  her 
troubles  for  a  time.  Although  M.  de  Limeray's 
education  was  rather  superficial,  he  had  read  a 
great  deal  and  had  a  good  memory.  He  felt  the 
beauty  of  music  and  pictures,  and  he  talked  of 
love  in  a  delightful  way,  like  a  man  who  had 
loved  often  rather  than  deeply,  and  who  was 
devoted  and  grateful  to  all  women.  French  con- 
versation led  by  a  true  gentleman  is  exquisite, 
like  the  French  cuisine  served  up  on  Sevres 
china.  Eloquent  and  witty  words  are  not 
enough  to  create  what  is  known  as  causerie;  it 
is  necessary  to  exteriorise  one's  self,  as  it  were, 
to  enter  into  magnetic  communication  with  one's 


298  Eve  Triumphant 

listener.  The  Saxon,  either  English  or  Ameri- 
can, has  too  much  reserve  or  egoism  for  this. 
He  talks,  but  he  cannot  converse. 

Helen  was  never  tired  of  listening  to  M.  de 
Limeray.  His  conversation,  through  which  ran 
a  current  of  sympathy  and  sentiment,  was  a  new 
pleasure  to  her.  He  would  have  been  delighted 
to  have  been  made  her  confidant,  and  a  French- 
woman would  not  perhaps  have  resisted  the 
temptation  of  confessing  herself  to  this  chival- 
rous and  tender-hearted  old  patrician.  Mrs. 
Ronald  had  too  much  strength  of  character  to 
allow  herself  to  open  her  heart  to  a  stranger. 
Out  of  loyalty  to  her  husband  and  respect  for 
him,  she  would  never  have  done  this,  and  she 
felt  that  only  to  a  priest  could  she  ever  tell  her 
secret. 

In  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  the  engaged  couple 
to  hurry  through  the  preparations  for  their  wed- 
ding, it  could  not  be  arranged  as  early  as  they 
wished,  and  was  finally  fixed  for  the  llth  of 
July. 

Either  for  some  unavowed  reason,  or  because 
his  business  really  required  his  presence  in 
America,  Mr.  Beauchamp  would  not  stay  for  it; 
he  declared  that  he  was  obliged  to  go  back,  and 
resisted  all  Dora's  entreaties.  Aunt  Sophie,  who 
had  had  enough  of  Europe,  elected  to  accompany 
him,  and  the  two  left  Paris  the  last  week  of  June. 

Charley  had  told  his  sister  that  she  would 
receive,  as  a  present  from  him,  a  picture  by 


The  Coming  Event  299 

Willie  Grey,  his  very  best,  and  quite  a  master- 
piece; but  he  refused  to  tell  her  the  subject  of 
it.  A  week  after  his  departure  it  was  brought 
to  Mrs.  Ronald,  in  a  wooden  case  which  was 
not  nailed  up,  and  which  she  immediately  opened 
with  eager  curiosity.  She  was  quite  alone,  for- 
tunately, for  on  seeing  it  she  turned  pale  with 
surprise  and  emotion.  Her  brother  had  guessed 
her  secret,  then !  The  picture  represented 
"  Titania's  Folly ! "  that  queen  of  the  fairies 
who,  under  the  influence  of  a  love-philter,  be- 
comes desperately  enamoured  of  a  monster — a 
human  being  with  the  head  of  an  ass.  The  well- 
known  episode  from  the  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream  was  treated  in  a  new  and  original  man- 
ner. In  a  sheltered  part  of  the  forest,  to  which 
the  first  glimmerings  of  dawn  lent  a  mysterious 
light,  Titania,  a  beautiful  woman,  with  long 
fair  hair,  clad  in  a  white  dress  edged  with  gold, 
was  reclining  on  a  mossy  bank.  Just  above  her 
could  be  seen  the  head  of  an  ass,  whose  body 
was  scarcely  visible  at  all  through  the  thicket. 
Around  his  neck  she  had  thrown  a  garland  of 
flowers,  which  she  had  probably  been  wearing 
herself,  and  her  slender  fingers  held  the  two  ends. 
The  creature  was  gazing  at  her  with  a  surprised 
and  stupid  expression  on  his  face.  Her  eyes 
were  full  of  mute  adoration,  her  parted  lips  had 
an  ecstatic  smile  on  them,  and  her  whole  face 
was  lighted  up  with  all  the  rays  of  the  trans- 
figuration. To  the  right  and  left  could  be  dis- 


300  Eve  Triumphant 

tinguished,  between  the  foliage  of  the  trees, 
human  faces,  clearly  drawn  and  cleverly  softened 
down.  They  were  contemplating  the  delirium 
of  the  poor,  deluded  woman  with  expressions  of 
disdain,  mockery,  and  pity.  This  picture  was 
the  work  of  an  artist  and  a  poet — a  marvel  of 
colouring  and  sentiment.  Mrs.  Ronald  looked 
at  it  for  a  long  time,  until  her  eyes  grew  misty 
and  filled  with  tears,  and  then,  while  putting 
the  lid  back  on  the  wooden  box,  she  murmured: 
«  Helen's  folly !  Helen's  felly ! » 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  THRESHOLD  OF  A  NEW  LIFE 

THE  civil  marriage  of  Miss  Carroll  and  the 
Count  Sant'  Anna  took  place  on  the  10th 
of  July.  On  leaving  the  Italian  Consulate,  Lelo 
put  his  bride  into  the  carriage  with  her  mother 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Konald.  He  then  kissed  her 
hand,  and  addressed  her  by  her  new  title,  accord- 
ing to  the  Italian  custom. 

"  Good-bye,  Countess,"  he  said,  smiling  in 
spite  of  his  agitation. 

Dora  blushed  with  pleasure  and  surprise. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  am  really 
married ! "  she  exclaimed,  with  an  expression  of 
dismay  that  was  most  comical. 

"  You  really  are,  though,  and  if  I  liked,  I 
could  take  you  home  with  me  to  the  Grand 
Hotel.  The  law  authorises  me  to  do  so." 

"  Married — well,  I  never !  Why,  I  did  not 
even  listen  to  what  they  read  to  us.  What  have 
I  promised  you?  " 

"  Blind  obedience  and  absolute  submission." 

"  But  that  is  appalling !  " 

"Do  not  be  afraid;  I  will  undertake  to  make 
301 


302  Eve  Triumphant 

the  obedience  and  submission  very  sweet  to 
you,"  said  the  Count  audaciously. 

As  the  landau  started  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
Helen's  face,  which  was  pale  and  drawn,  but  on 
which  could  be  read  an  expression  of  haughty 
defiance.  Their  eyes  met  like  two  swords,  and 
a  feeling  of  satisfied  vengeance  brought  back  to 
Lelo's  lips  that  cruel  smile  of  the  Sant'  Annas, 
which  one  of  the  greatest  Italian  painters  has 
depicted  on  canvas. 

The  religious  marriage  was  celebrated  the  fol- 
lowing day  at  the  Nunciature  by  Monsignor 
Clari,  and  only  the  Marquis  and  the  Marquise 
d'Anguilhon,  the  KSradieus,  the  Vergas,  the  Vis- 
count de  Nozay,  the  Count  de  Limeray,  and  a 
few  Romans  were  present.  In  the  chapel,  all 
decorated  with  flowers,  the  ceremony  was  very 
impressive.  Dora,  who  was  most  exquisitely 
dressed,  looked  very  charming,  and  never  had 
her  face  worn  so  serious  and  elevated  an  expres- 
sion. The  wedding  luncheon  took  place  at  the 
Hotel  Continental,  and  during  the  repast  a  tele- 
gram brought  the  newly-married  couple  the 
benediction  of  Leo  XIII.,  obtained  undoubtedly 
by  Cardinal  Salvoni. 

With  the  burden  is  always  given  the  strength 
to  bear  it.  Helen  felt  all  the  time,  as  is  usually 
the  case  on  life's  great  and  eventful  days,  as 
though  she  were  in  a  dream,  as  though  every- 
thing were  unreal.  At  the  reception  which  fol- 
lowed the  luncheon,  she  acted  her  part  as  a 


The  Threshold  of  a  New  Life     303' 

relative  most  brilliantly.  She  chatted  gaily  with 
one  and  another,  and  if  her  cheeks  had  an  un- 
natural hectic  flush,  and  her  voice  faltered  now 
and  then,  or  her  laugh  sounded  forced  and  nerv- 
ous, M.  de  Limeray  was  the  only  one  to  notice 
it.  The  bride  and  bridegroom,  who  were  to 
spend  the  first  days  of  their  honeymoon  at  Fon- 
tainebleau,  went  away  early  in  the  afternoon. 
Mrs.  Ronald  kissed  Dora,  shook  hands  with  the 
Count  Sant'  Anna,  and  when  this  little  farewell 
ceremony  was  accomplished,  turned  to  M.  de 
Limeray,  who  was  watching  her  admiringly. 

"  Do  you  believe,"  she  asked  him  abruptly, 
"  that  love  is  one  of  the  great  fluids  of  Nature, 
one  of  the  agents  of  our  destiny?  " 

The  Count,  startled  by  this  extraordinary 
question,  looked  at  Mrs.  Ronald  anxiously,  as 
though  he  feared  she  were  losing  her  reason. 
The  expression  of  her  face  reassured  him, 
however. 

"  Love  a  fluid !  "  he  repeated,  in  bewilderment. 
"  I  do  not  know ;  I  never  studied  it  from  a  scien- 
tific point  of  view,"  he  added,  with  a  smile. 
"  It  may  be,  though " 

"  It  is  so,"  said  Helen,  in  a  positive  tone. 
"  When  my  husband  first  stated  this  theory,  I 
jeered  at  him  and  his  science.  Now  I  am  quite 
sure  that  he  is  in  the  right." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so?  " 

"  Dora's  marriage." 

Then,  as  though  fearing  to  yield  to  the  need 


304  Eve  Triumphant 

she  felt  of  opening  her  heart  to  some  one,  full 
as  it  was  to  overflowing  with  regret,  grief,  and 
anger,  she  held  her  hand  out  brusquely  to  the 
Count.  The  old  nobleman  bowed  over  it,  and 
kissed  it  in  a  more  lingering  way  than  usual. 

"  I  deliver  the  idea  and  the  fact  over  to  your 
philosophical  meditation,"  said  Mrs.  Ronald, 
with  an  attempt  at  a  smile.  "  AM  revoir! " 

"  These  American  women  are  astonishing — 
perfectly  astonishing ! "  murmured  M.  de  Lime- 
ray,  as  he  moved  away. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  REFUGE  OF  THE  CHURCH 

DURING  the  whole  month  which  had  pre- 
ceded Miss  Carroll's  wedding,  Mrs.  Ronald 
had  courageously  gone  on  with  her  religious 
instruction.  Nearly  every  day,  and  often  in  the 
intervals  between  trying-on  at  the  dressmaker's, 
she  went  to  M.  de  Rovel.  She  had  no  idea  how 
strange  she  looked  in  that  austere  study,  fur- 
nished in  dark  green,  and  filled  with  books, 
and  with  the  large  ivory  Christ  looking  down 
from  the  crucifix.  The  sight  of  this  beautiful 
woman,  with  her  modern  elegance,  her  well- 
made  dress  moulded,  as  it  were,  on  to  her  figure, 
seated  there  in  a  high-backed  chair,  facing  the 
old  priest  who  was  teaching  her  the  catechism, 
would  have  delighted  an  artist  or  a  poet. 

M.  de  Rovel  was  a  theologian  of  the  first  order. 
He  would  willingly  have  laid  the  axe  to  the  root 
of  all  the  petty  superstitions  and  ridiculous  be- 
liefs which,  like  a  weedy  undergrowth,  choke  the 
great  tree  of  Catholicism  and  destroy  its  beauti- 
ful forms.  He  pushed  them  deliberately  aside 
for  Mrs.  Ronald,  and  did  his  utmost  to  make 

305 


306  Eve  Triumphant 

the  logic  and  unity  of  the  dogma  stand  out  In 
relief — that  logic  and  unity  which  are  so  well 
calculated  to  strike  and  attract  the  Saxon  mind. 
The  Abbe",  who  had  instructed  Mme.  de  K6radieu, 
and  who  saw  her  often,  and  in  home-life,  knew 
something  by  this  time  of  American  women. 
Helen,  who  was  more  modern,  and  whose  intel- 
lectual powers  were  more  developed,  was  an  in- 
teresting subject  of  study  for  him.  He  was  both 
delighted  and  alarmed  at  the  simplicity,  the  in- 
dependence, and  the  boldness  of  this  mind  of 
the  New  World  which  she  personified,  and  he 
foresaw  that  this  same  mind  might  be  for  the 
Church  either  a  powerful  aid  or  a  formidable 
enemy — un  enfant  terrible  difficult  to  discipline. 
When  Mrs.  Konald  informed  him  that  she  had 
decided  to  become  a  Catholic,  she  did  so  in  such 
terms  as  gave  him  a  violent  mental  shock. 

"  I  was  afraid,"  she  said,  "  that  Catholicism 
was  too  much  behind  the  times;  but  I  see  that 
it  is,  on  the  contrary,  too  far  ahead  of  us.  It 
contains  scientific  elements,  and  a  power  of  ideal- 
ity which  should  satisfy  the  modern  mind.  I 
fancy,  even,  that  no  one  has  yet  understood  it. 
It  is  to  this  fact  that  the  horrors  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion, and  everything  with  which  it  is  reproached, 
are  due.  The  tool  with  which  an  artist  engraves 
his  masterpieces  may  become  a  murderous  wea- 
pon in  the  hands  of  a  savage." 

On  hearing  these  words,  uttered  in  the  sim- 
plest manner,  M.  de  Hovel  remained  mute  for 


The  Refuge  of  the  Church        307 

a  few  seconds.  He  had  often  tried,  with  an 
anguish  born  of  filial  love,  to  justify  the  cruelties 
committed  by  the  Church — that  Church  whose 
first  principle  is,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill"— and 
he  had  never  succeeded.  He  had  secretly  felt 
ashamed  of  its  stakes  and  of  its  crimes,  and  had 
expiated  them  in  his  own  way  by  daily  self- 
sacrifice,  and  by  an  increase  of  charity.  And 
the  justification  which  he  had  searched  for  so 
anxiously,  this  American,  this  worldly  woman 
with  her  clear  vision,  had  just  discovered.  He 
looked  at  her  with  a  grateful  expression,  and 
then,  in  order  to  drive  her  into  a  corner,  he 
asked : 

"  Did  the  early  Christians  not  understand 
Catholicism?  " 

"  Not  quite.  They  are  dead ;  the  Barbarians 
killed,  but  we  must  live,  work,  and  help  each 
other.  You  will  see  that  Catholicism  will  have 
its  evolution  in  America." 

The  priest  could  not  help  smiling. 

"  America  will  respect  its  dogmas,  I  hope,"  he 
said. 

"  Certainly ;  but  she  will  discover,  and  then 
teach  the  spirit  of  them — the  spirit  which 
quickens." 

Helen's  life  at  the  convent  and  her  visits  to 
Rome  had,  although  she  was  unaware  of  it, 
familiarised  her  with  many  things  to  which 
otherwise  she  would  have  taken  exception.  The 
religious  ceremonies,  the  service,  and  the  liturgy 


308  Eve  Triumphant 

she  liked  thoroughly;  and  when  the  priest  ex- 
plained the  sacraments  to  her,  her  whole  face 
lighted  up. 

"  I  understand,"  she  said ;  "  they  are  mag- 
nificent symbols." 

"  Symbols !  "  protested  M.  de  Kovel.  "  Why, 
no,  my  child,  you  have  not  understood  at  all. 
They  are  absolute  truths." 

Helen  gave  a  little  smile,  and  then,  in  that 
decided  tone  in  which  the  American  woman  ex- 
presses her  ideas,  and  makes  a  clean  sweep  of 
all  the  sentimentalities  of  the  Old  World,  she 
said: 

"  Absolute  truths  for  the  simple-minded — for 
children ;  but  for  you  and  me — symbols  only." 

The  theologian  was  about  to  protest,  and  to 
argue,  but  something  in  the  expression  of 
Helen's  face  stopped  him.  That  word  symbol 
was,  for  the  priest,  a  flash  of  lightning,  by  the 
gleam  of  which  he  could  read  what  was  passing 
in  the  mind  of  his  catechumen.  The  dogma  of 
original  sin,  the  mysteries  of  the  Trinity,  the 
Incarnation,  and  the  Eedemption  were  to  her 
merely  symbols!  It  was  in  this  way  that  she 
understood  them.  M.  de  Kovel  was  horrified, 
troubled  to  the  depths  of  his  soul.  He  spent 
the  whole  of  one  night  deliberating  with  his  con- 
science as  to  whether  he  ought  to  admit  Mrs. 
Ronald  into  the  Church.  Convinced  of  the  im- 
possibility of  making  her  accept  the  dogmas 
in  any  other  way,  he  said  to  himself  that  in 


The  Refuge  of  the  Church        309 

practising  her  new  religion  more  complete  faith 
Would  come  to  her.  Faith  alone  would  be  able 
to  make  her  orthodox,  and  it  had  wrought  many 
other  miracles.  The  Abbe"  had  guessed  that 
Helen  was  suffering  from  some  secret  grief; 
that  it  was  not  merely  religious  emotion  she 
wanted  from  Catholicism,  but  moral  aid.  He 
felt  that  he  had  no  right  to  refuse  her  this. 
And  then,  too,  her  example  might  bring  about 
many  other  conversions. 

Mrs.  Ronald  kept  thinking  about  the  confes- 
sion she  would  have  to  make.  At  times  she 
fancied  that  she  should  never  be  able  to  bring 
herself  to  this,  and  then  there  were  moments 
when  she  felt  an  absolute  need  of  unburdening 
her  soul.  When  she  entered  a  church,  the  sight 
of  the  confessional  box  gave  her  a  thrill.  It 
attracted,  while  at  the  same  time  it  terrified 
and  fascinated  her.  She  experienced  all  the 
anguish,  the  regret,  and  the  inward  struggles 
which  every  convert  has  known. 

Each  time  she  had  come  to  Paris  she  had 
never  failed  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Convent  of 
the  Assumption.  The  year  of  study  and  isola- 
tion which  she  had  spent  there  was  now  to  her 
a  pleasant  memory,  associated  always  in  her 
mind  with  a  scent  of  incense.  The  Mother  Su- 
perior, who  was  still  there,  received  her  always 
with  motherly  affection.  Mere  Ernilie  had,  with- 
out knowing  it,  been  influenced  herself  by  the 
charm  of  the  young  girl's  wholesome  and  un- 


310  Eve  Triumphant 

fettered  youth.  Of  all  the  foreign  girls  she  had 
had  under  her  charge,  this  one  had  inspired  her 
with  the  most  sympathy  and  esteem.  When 
Helen  had  told  her  that  she  was  about  to  be- 
come a  Catholic,  Mere  Emilie's  face  had  beamed 
with  joy,  and  she  had  clasped  her  hands  within 
her  own. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  child,  what  happiness ! "  she 
had  exclaimed;  and  then,  with  her  simple  faith, 
she  added :  "  It  is  the  Holy  Virgin,  to  whom 
you  brought  so  many  flowers,  who  has  obtained 
this  grace  for  you." 

The  climax  of  her  joy  was  when  Mrs.  Ronald 
told  her  that  she  wished  to  renounce  her  former 
religion  in  the  convent  chapel.  She  wanted  to 
be  received  into  the  Catholic  Church  at  the  altar 
which  she  had  so  often  decorated  with  flowers, 
and  which  was,  in  a  way,  familiar  to  her. 

By  telling  his  wife  that  he  did  not  mind  her 
becoming  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Eonald  had  presumed 
rather  too  much  on  the  broadness  of  his  own 
views.  On  thinking  the  matter  over,  he  had 
realised  what  a  scandal  it  would  cause  in  New 
York  society,  and  in  his  own  family,  and  he 
had  regretted  giving  his  consent  to  it.  Helen 
had  at  first  told  him  about  the  progress  she 
was  making  in  her  religious  instruction,  but  on 
observing  that  the  subject  brought  an  expres- 
sion of  displeasure  and  coldness  to  his  face,  she 
ceased  mentioning  it.  M.  and  Mme.  de  K6radieu, 
the  Count  de  Limeray,  and  the  Mother  Superior 


The  Refuge  of  the  Church        311 

of  the  Assumption  alone  were  in  her  confidence, 
and  she  carefully  refrained  from  enlightening 
her  brother,  her  aunt,  and  Dora. 

As  she  was  to  start  for  Scotland  on  the  1st 
of  August,  and  return  from  there  to  America, 
she  asked  to  be  received  into  the  Church  on  the 
20th  of  July.  M.  de  Hovel  consented  without 
any  difficulty,  and  on  the  day  previous  she  had 
to  go  through  the  terrible  ordeal  of  the  confes- 
sional. This  practice,  for  those  who  have  not 
been  accustomed  to  it  from  their  childhood, 
requires  nothing  short  of  heroism. 

For  several  minutes  Helen  remained  mute,  her 
heart  beating  violently  and  her  temples  throb- 
bing wildly,  without  being  able  to  articulate  a 
word.  Then  the  priest  came  to  her  aid.  He 
encouraged  her  in  her  avowal  with  penetrating 
kindliness.  This  spiritual  magnetism  soon  be- 
gan to  act  on  her  soul,  until,  hypnotised  by  the 
mysterious  whispering,  and  this  voice  coming 
from  the  dark  confessional  box,  she  no  longer 
saw  M.  de  Eovel,  and  with  her  eyes  fixed  on 
the  white  surplice  against  the  grating,  she  made 
her  confession.  Unconsciously,  she  put  into  it 
the  new  spirit  of  the  times.  Without  any  sense 
of  sin,  or  of  any  individual  fault,  just  as  she 
would  have  told  a  doctor  of  her  physical  ills 
and  infirmities  so  that  he  might  cure  her,  she 
confessed  to  the  priest  her  imperfections,  her 
frivolousness,  her  vanity,  her  paltry  envy,  and 
her  hopeless  love,  so  that  he  might  help  her  to 


312  Eve  Triumphant 

get  rid  of  it  all  and  to  rise  above  it.  Rarely, 
indeed,  had  M.  de  Rovel  met  with  a  penitent 
woman  so  determined  to  chase  from  her  soul 
the  thief  of  honour.  When  he  had  heard  all, 
he  assured  his  new  convert  that  she  would  find 
in  Catholicism  the  strength  she  needed.  He 
then  pronounced  over  her  the  words  of  the  ab- 
solution, and  added  gently :  "  Go  in  peace." 

Helen  left  the  confessional  as  though  in  a 
trance;  her  knees  were  trembling,  and  she  was 
quite  dazed.  When  she  came  to  herself,  she  felt 
a  delicious  sense  of  relief,  an  inward  satisfac- 
tion such  as  she  had  never  known. 

The  following  day  she  informed  her  husband 
that  she  was  going  to  Auteuil,  not  wishing  to 
enter  into  details  until  her  return.  Her  emo- 
tion did  not  hinder  her  from  dressing  with  the 
greatest  care.  She  had  decided  on  a  most  suit- 
able toilette  for  the  ceremony  of  her  abjuration. 
It  was  a  dress  of  black  silk  muslin  with  ap- 
plications of  Chantilly  lace,  a  cape  to  match,  and 
a  black  toque  trimmed  with  Parma  violets. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  elegant,  in  spite 
of  the  somewhat  severe  style,  or  more  appro- 
priate for  the  occasion. 

The  convent  chapel  was  decorated  as  though 
for  a  grand  fete  day,  and  all  the  pensionnaires 
had  been  invited.  At  nine  o'clock  precisely  Mrs. 
Ronald  entered,  accompanied  by  the  Marquis 
and  the  Marquise  de  Keradieu,  who  were  to  act 
as  her  sponsors.  By  permission  from  the  Arch- 


The  Refuge  of  the  Church        313 

bishop,  the  somewhat  barbarous  ceremony  of 
stopping  the  neophyte  at  the  church  door  was 
dispensed  with.  She  walked  on,  therefore,  to 
the  prie-dieu  which  had  been  placed  for  her, 
whilst  a  pure,  rich  voice  sang  the  Veni  Creator, 
a  hymn  of  invocation.  M.  de  Rovel,  arrayed  in 
rich  vestments,  then  went  up  to  the  altar.  Helen 
was  first  baptised,  and  then,  with  her  hand  on 
the  Testament,  she  pronounced  her  abjuration, 
and  repeated  the  creed  of  her  new  faith.  The 
Abb6  next  said  mass  and  gave  her  Communion. 
On  receiving  the  Host,  she  did  not  feel  anything 
of  that  religious  fervour  which  truly  pious  peo- 
ple experience,  but  she  had  the  sensation — a 
sensation  characteristic  of  her  mentality — that 
she  was  entering  into  communion  with  the 
Divine,  with  all  that  there  is  beautiful  and 
elevated  in  Nature.  For  a  few  moments  she 
soared  high  above  Dora,  Lelo,  paltry  love,  and 
all  foolish  vanities ;  and  then,  coming  back  again 
to  earth  once  more,  she  thought,  with  surprise 
mingled  with  awe,  of  the  strangeness  of  the  ways 
of  Providence,  which  had  willed  that  this  voyage 
to  Europe  should  terminate  for  Miss  Carroll  and 
herself  at  the  foot  of  the  Catholic  altar  by  a 
marriage  and  a  conversion.  Mass  was  followed 
by  the  Te  Deum,  and  Helen  went  down  the  aisle 
again,  accompanied  by  the  last  notes  of  the 
psalm  of  thanksgiving.  Mere  Emilie  had  an 
exquisite  luncheon  prepared  for  M.  de  Hovel, 
Mrs.  Ronald,  and  the  Keradieus.  She  could  not, 


3i4  Eve  Triumphant 

on  account  of  the  convent  restrictions,  join  them 
at  the  table,  but  she  was  present  during  the  re- 
past, and  was  most  attentive  and  motherly  in 
her  kindness  to  her  ex-pensionnaire,  at  whom 
she  kept  looking  with  admiration,  secretly  con- 
gratulating herself  that  she  had  been  an  instru- 
ment in  this  conversion.  On  returning  to  the 
hotel,  Helen  wrent  straight  to  her  husband  and 
put  her  arms  round  his  neck. 

"  Henry,"  she  said,  her  eyes  shining  with  the 
joy  she  had  brought  back  with  her  from  Auteuil, 
"  I  have  just  been  received  into  the  Catholic 
Church." 

Mr.  Ronald  could  not  help  starting,  and  his 
face  clouded  over  with  displeasure. 

"  I  shall  begin  to  be  of  the  same  opinion  as 
those  who  say  that  Europe  does  American  women 
no  good,"  he  said.  "  Some  of  them  come  here 
and  ruin  themselves,  or  make  stupid  marriages, 
and  others  get  divorced  or  change  their  religion. 
Upon  my  word,  it  seems  as  though  all  of  you 
come  to  Europe  to  do  something  foolish,"  he 
added,  disengaging  himself  from  his  wife's 
embrace. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  FAMILY  AND  THE  NEWCOMER 

NEARLY  two  years  passed  by,  and  this  time 
was  to  Dora  Sant'  Anna  a  period  of  ex- 
traordinary activity.  First  of  all  there  had  been 
her  wedding  journey,  with  its  two  delightful 
halts  at  Fontainebleau  and  St.  Moritz ;  then  the 
arrival  in  Italy,  and  the  installation  in  that 
princely  villa  at  Frascati  where  Lelo  was  born. 
The  young  wife  found  a  magnificent  home  await- 
ing her,  with  a  gallery  painted  by  Jules  Remain, 
rooms  paved  with  rare  marble,  but  an  absence 
of  comfort  which  chilled  her.  Her  artistic 
sense  was  not  greatly  developed,  and  if  it  be 
true  that  the  taste  for  ancient  things  is  a  sign 
of  degeneration,  Dora  was  certainly  exempt  from 
this,  as  she  had  a  decided  preference  for  all 
that  was  modern. 

The  Gobelin  tapestries  which  covered  the 
walls,  the  cabinets  of  rare  workmanship,  and 
the  Italian  coffers  did  not  appeal  to  her  in  the 
least.  She  would  have  preferred  comfortable 
rooms,  and,  particularly,  well-appointed  bath- 
rooms, to  all  these  gilded  salons,  and  even  a 

315 


316  Eve  Triumphant 

brass  bedstead  of  good  English  make  to  the  hand- 
some couch,  draped  with  antique  brocade  and 
surmounted  with  Cupids,  holding  in  their  hands 
the  armorial  bearings  of  the  Sant'  Annas,  which 
Destiny  had  reserved  for  her.  She  immediately 
set  to  work,  and  with  the  aid  of  some  furniture 
which  she  found  in  the  lumber-room,  she  soon 
arranged  a  suite  of  rooms  which  looked  more 
habitable  and  cosy. 

In  October  her  husband  took  her  to  his 
mother's  villa  at  Sora,  in  Umbria.  The  thought 
of  this  visit  had  weighed  on  her  like  a  night- 
mare. She  arrived  there,  having  made  up  her 
mind  to  be  very  pleasant,  and  to  endeavour  to 
win  the  affection  of  her  new  family.  She  met 
with  a  hostility  too  strong  for  her  to  overcome 
with  her  vivaciousness  and  youth.  The  Count- 
ess Sant'  Anna  received  her  politely,  but  in  a 
frigid  way  that  was  most  discouraging.  The 
Duchess  Avellina,  her  sister-in-law,  seemed  in- 
clined to  be  friendly,  but  put  on  a  patronising 
air  which  got  on  Dora's  nerves.  From  the  very 
first  moment  the  consciousness  that  she  was  dis- 
liked exasperated  her  in  a  dangerous  way,  and, 
out  of  bravado,  she  exaggerated  her  modernism 
and  showed  the  worst  side  of  her  character, 
with  such  success  that,  in  private,  Lelo's  family 
deplored  more  and  more  the  choice  he  had 
made. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  get  rid  of  the  people 
who  had  taken  the  suite  of  rooms  on  the  first 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    317 

floor  of  the  Sant'  Anna  Palace,  the  young  couple 
had  rented  the  Fardelli  Palace,  Via  Bocca  di 
Leone,  an  abode  more  suitable  for  a  banker  than 
a  prince,  but  admirably  furnished,  and  with  a 
magnificent  conservatory,  quite  unique  of  its 
kind,  and  the  envy  of  all  hostesses. 

The  Marquise  Verga,  in  spite  of  her  frivolous 
manner,  was  well  up  in  worldly  matters.  She 
thoroughly  understood  Roman  society,  and  gave 
her  compatriot  valuable  advice,  which  enabled 
the  young  wife  to  launch  her  bark  skilfully. 

Dora  was  not  long  in  gathering  round  her  a 
pleasant  circle  of  friends. 

An  Italian  rarely  becomes  a  constant  visitor 
at  a  house  unless  he  likes  the  hostess,  and 
finds  her  pleasant  and  not  exacting.  Dora  had 
these  qualities,  and,  in  addition,  was  amusing, 
original,  had  wonderful  eyes,  and  dressed  to 
perfection. 

All  Lelo's  friends  were  enthusiastic  in  their 
praises  of  her,  but  her  success  was  not  so  great 
with  the  women.  They  criticised  in  the  most 
merciless  way  her  abrupt  manners,  her  rather 
loud  voice,  and  her  unconventionality.  She,  on 
her  side,  did  not  care  for  the  Italian  women. 
She  did  not  understand  them  at  all.  Their  in- 
nate grace  and  their  subtle  coquetry  made  her 
vaguely  uneasy.  She  kept  saying  to  herself  that 
she  was  their  superior  in  education  and  know- 
ledge of  life;  and  yet,  in  spite  of  this,  she  felt 
that  they  possessed  an  occult  power  which  she 


3i 8  Eve  Triumphant 

could  not  define,  but  which  exasperated  her 
secretly,  and  which  she  knew  was  dangerous. 

She  was  obliged  to  exchange  visits  with  her 
sister-in-law,  at  whose  house  she  came  into 
contact  with  people  of  the  Black  party.  They 
treated  her  with  great  courtesy  and  kindness, 
and,  indeed,  made  the  most  flattering  overtures 
to  her,  but  she  guessed  the  end  they  had  in  view, 
and  consequently  stood  on  the  defensive. 

Although  Dora  endeavoured  to  appear  quite 
at  her  ease  in  these  Roman  surroundings,  she 
had  a  kind  of  stifled  feeling,  a  longing  for  more 
freedom,  and  "  to  be  able  to  stretch  herself,"  as 
she  quaintly  put  it.  She  thought  herself  very 
fortunate  in  having  her  mother  near  her. 

Mrs.  Carroll  had  not  returned  to  America,  but 
had  taken  a  suite  of  rooms  at  the  Hotel  Quirinal. 
Dora  went  to  see  her  every  day,  and  this  visit 
was  the  object  of  her  morning  walk.  In  the 
afternoon,  too,  she  would  often  drop  in  at  her 
mother's  daily  receptions,  and  find  herself  among 
a  crowd  of  American  spinsters  and  elderly  ladies 
whom  she  would  formerly  have  avoided,  but  who 
now  seemed  quite  a  relief  to  her. 

Mrs.  Carroll  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
her  son-in-law.  He  was  always  most  attentive, 
and  talked  to  her  in  a  charming  way;  and,  as 
though  out  of  gratitude,  her  greatest  delight  was 
to  overwhelm  the  young  couple  with  presents. 

The  intercourse  between  Dora  and  the  Count- 
ess Sant?  Anna  was  far  from  being  as  cordial 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    319 

as  this.  Their  mutual  hostility  manifested  it- 
self on  all  occasions,  and  Lelo's  family  was,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  only  dark  cloud  on  the 
young  wife's  horizon.  She,  nevertheless,  suc- 
ceeded, as  she  had  intended,  in  making  a  con- 
quest of  the  Cardinal. 

The  combinations  of  human  life  are  very  much 
like  those  of  a  certain  game  of  cards — one  fre- 
quently holds  in  one's  hand  for  a  long  time  the 
decisive  ones. 

Dora's  father,  who  had  been  a  great  billiard 
player,  had  taught  her  the  game  as  soon  as  her 
little  fingers  could  manage  the  cue.  She  was 
soon  a  capital  player,  and  this  accomplishment 
was  destined  to  help  her  considerably  in  winning 
the  good  graces  of  her  future  uncle. 

His  eminence,  Cardinal  Salvoni,  was  passion- 
ately fond  of  billiards,  and  was  both  surprised 
and  delighted  to  find  in  the  young  American 
an  adversary  worthy  of  him.  Her  straight  eye 
and  her  free,  bold  play  gave  him  an  excellent 
idea  of  her  character.  During  the  many  games 
they  had  together  he  learnt  to  know  and  under- 
stand her  better.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had 
come  into  contact  with  the  American  intellect — 
that  brilliant  intellect  which  is  as  clear  as  elec- 
tric light,  and,  like  it,  without  warmth.  It  was 
quite  a  revelation  to  him,  and  he  studied  it  with 
all  the  more  interest  from  the  fact  that  it  was 
beginning  to  manifest  itself  in  a  most  alarming 
manner  in  religious  questions,  and  more  than 


320  Eve  Triumphant 

once  his  lowered  eyelids  served  to  hide  the 
astonishment  and  the  uneasiness  it  caused  him. 

In  spite,  of  his  cold  and  haughty  mien,  the 
Cardinal  was  extremely  sensitive  to  the  suffer- 
ings of  humanity.  Don  Agostino,  the  minister 
of  his  good  works,  was  a  simple  country  priest, 
with  the  heart  of  a  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  He 
lived  in  a  modest  room  of  the  Salvoni  Palace, 
spent  his  life  in  taking  help  and  consolation  to 
the  needy,  and  was  received  by  the  prelate  at 
all  hours. 

Lelo  had  told  his  wife  all  this. 

One  evening,  after  a  very  brilliant  game,  which 
the  Cardinal  had  won,  Dora  happened  to  be 
alone  with  him  for  a  few  moments.  She  began 
to  roll  the  balls  along  the  billiard-table  nerv- 
ously, and  then  at  last,  with  a  slight  flush  on 
her  cheeks  and  an  embarrassed  look,  she  said : 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  something." 

"  Ask  me,  my  child,  by  all  means,"  answered 
his  Eminence,  who  was  in  a  very  good  humour 
after  his  victory. 

"Well,  it's  just  this;  I  am  not  accustomed 
to  keeping  all  the  good  things  Providence  has 
given  me  to  myself.  As  I  live  here,  the  poor 
of  Rome  must  have  a  share  in  them.  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  of  some  families,  or  some  people, 
that  I  could  help  out  of  their  poverty,  and  put 
into  a  position  to  earn  their  living.  I  will  do 
all  that  is  necessary  with  pleasure,  on  one  con- 
dition, and  that  is — they  must  do  for  others 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    321 

what  I  do  for  them.  There  must  be  no  charity, 
but  just  mutual  aid.  That  is  my  system." 

This  time  the  Cardinal  opened  his  eyes  wide, 
showing  the  pleasure  which  this  offer  caused 
him. 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  send  Don  Agostino  to  you, 
and  you  shall  explain  your  system  to  him,"  he 
said,  smiling.  "  You  will  have  to  look  after 
him,  for  he  is  most  deplorably  weak  when  it 
is  a  question  of  his  poor  people " ;  and  then, 
laying  his  hand  affectionately  on  his  niece's 
shoulder,  he  added:  " Dio  vi  benedica,  figlia 
mia!  [God  bless  you,  my  daughter!]  I  am 
glad  to  see  that  on  such  questions  as  these  we 
shall  always  agree." 

And  Dora  had  not  failed  to  explain  to  Don 
Agostino  her  ideas  concerning  benevolence. 
They  caused  him  profound  astonishment  at  first, 
but  in  the  end  he  owned  that  there  was  some 
good  in  them,  and  he  threw  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  system  of  the  young  American.  He 
was  charmed  to  see  the  interest  she  took  in  her 
proteges;  he  forgave  her  for  being  a  heretic, 
sang  her  praises  to  every  one,  and  prayed  for 
her  with  a  fervour  that  was  most  touching. 

Ten  months  after  her  marriage,  the  young 
Countess  presented  her  husband  with  a  son,  a 
perfect  marvel  of  strength  and  beauty.  She  was 
very  delighted  herself,  for  she  had  had  time  to 
find  out  how  strong  the  sentiment  of  race  and 
paternity  is  with  Italians.  The  birth  of  the 


322  Eve  Triumphant 

child  did  not  niend  matters  in  any  way  between 
herself  and  her  mother-in-law.  Feeling  herself 
stronger  by  virtue  of  her  maternity,  Dora  was 
still  more  wayward  and  unyielding.  Every 
morning  the  nurse  took  the  little  Guido  to  the 
Sant'  Anna  Palace,  and  in  the  afternoon  the 
Dowager  Countess  arranged  to  go  and  see  him 
again  at  the  Pincio.  The  English  way  of  rearing 
the  child  filled  her  with  dismay.  His  head  bare, 
his  limbs  free,  plenty  of  fresh  air  in  all  sorts 
of  weather,  and  this  in  Home,  above  all  places! 
It  was  simply  madness!  At  his  mother's  en- 
treaty, Lelo  had  endeavoured  to  remonstrate, 
but  the  young  wife  had  declared  categorically 
that  she  intended  to  bring  her  son  up  in  the 
American  way,  so  that  he  should  have  muscles 
and  a  constitution  which  would  fit  him  for  an 
active  life.  The  perpetual  fear  lest  the  baby 
should  be  a  victim  to  these  innovations  kept  the 
grandmother  in  a  chronic  state  of  exasperation. 
On  the  whole,  Dora  had  been  very  happy  and 
contented  ever  since  her  marriage.  One  even- 
ing, at  the  beginning  of  April,  the  electric  light 
was  tried  for  the  first  time  at  her  Thursday 
reception.  She  had  had  it  put  in  at  the  Far- 
delli  Palace  at  great  expense,  and  it  seemed  to 
give  new  life  to  the  beautiful  Italian  rooms, 
with  their  painted  ceilings  and  wonderful  gilded 
decorations.  The  flowers  and  plants,  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  furniture,  the  conservatory 
artistically  lighted  up,  the  open  doors  of  the 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    323 

billiard-room,  the  smoke  from  the  cigars  and 
from  a  few  feminine  cigarettes,  made  up  a 
charming  picture,  pleasing  to  the  eye,  and  very 
modern.  Every  one  was  chatting,  discussing,  or 
flirting.  There  were  Italian  women  of  rank, 
their  expressive  faces  varying  every  minute, 
wearing  with  perfect  grace  royal  jewels,  and 
dresses  which  were  of  questionable  taste.  And 
then  there  were  American  women  with  their 
cold,  serene  faces,  better  dressed,  but  less  ele- 
gant. It  was  a  curious  contrast  of  different 
races  and  educations,  a  living  illustration  of  the 
Old  and  the  New  World.  Among  these  feminine 
surroundings  were  to  be  seen  some  handsome 
masculine  faces,  with  melancholy  eyes  and 
figures,  the  sculptural  lines  of  which  lent  some- 
thing noble  and  manly-looking  to  the  evening 
coat. 

Dora,  as  slender  as  ever,  and  looking  prettier 
than  she  had  ever  done,  in  her  dress  of  white 
lace  over  pink,  was  walking  up  and  down  in 
the  conservatory  with  the  Marquis  Verga. 

"  Do  you  think,"  asked  the  latter,  "  that  your 
husband  will  accept  this  post  of  master  of  the 
ceremonies?  I  know  he  has  been  sounded,  for 
I  was  talking  to  him  about  it  this  morning,  and 
he  said  he  would  think  it  over." 

"  A  bad  sign,"  said  the  young  wife,  shaking 
her  head.  "  When  an  Italian  says  to  you,  '  Ci 
pensero '  ['  I  will  think  about  it'],  it  is  because 
he  has  not  the  courage  to  utter  the  refusal  he 


324  Eve  Triumphant 

has  in  his  mind.  I  do  not  know  whether  this 
is  weakness  or  good-nature." 

"  Both,"  answered  the  Marquis,  with  a  smile. 

"  Perhaps.  No,  believe  me,  Lelo  will  not 
accept.  He  has  too  many  ties  on  the  other  side, 
and  his  family  has  an  occult  influence  over  him. 
He  will  not  admit  this,  but  I  can  feel  it.  If 
anything,  he  has  less  sympathy  with  the  Whites 
than  when  I  first  knew  him.  It  is  rather  humil- 
iating for  me,  but  I  console  myself  with  the 
thought  that  his  dear  friend,  the  Princess 
Marina,  did  not  succeed  any  better  than  I  have 
in  converting  him."  Dora  gave  a  little  nerv- 
ous laugh,  and  then  continued :  "  The  fact  is, 
the  Italian  character  is  so  perplexing  that  I 
feel  at  sea.  You  are  charming,  but  as  slippery 
as  eels.  If,  for  instance,  I  blame  Lelo  for  any- 
thing, and  give  him  a  minute  to  think  about  it 
— just  one  minute — he  will  prove  to  me  that 
I  am  in  the  wrong  myself,  and  at  the  time  I 
am  silly  enough  to  believe  him." 

"That's  it— that's  just  it!"  said  the  Mar- 
quis Verga,  laughing  heartily;  and  then  speak- 
ing seriously  again,  he  added :  "  Your  husband 
thinks  a  great  deal  of  your  judgment,  though, 
and  he  always  asks  your  opinion." 

"  About  all  that  concerns  business  matters,  or 
the  house,  but  for  everything  else,  I  can  get  no 
further  with  him." 

"  It  is  a  very  fortunate  thing  that  you  have  a 
son.  It  gives  you  a  power  which  you  would 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    325 

never  have  obtained  during  the  lifetime  of  the 
Countess." 

"  I  know  that.  You  Italians  are  regular 
Orientals,  and  you  do  not  know  what  women 
are  yet." 

"  That *s  possible — very  possible.  But  to  come 
back  to  the  question,  you  must  try  to  persuade 
Lelo  to  go  in  for  this  post." 

"  I  will  try,  but  I  have  no  hope  whatever  of 
succeeding.  He  would  not  like  to  give  his 
mother  another  blow — she  has  not  yet  recovered 
from  the  one  he  gave  her  in  marrying  an 
American." 

"  No  matter ;  don't  be  discouraged.  Do  you 
know  that  the  Marquise  d'Anguilhon  persuaded 
her  husband  to  offer  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
Parliament,  and  he  has  been  elected." 

"Indeed!" 

"  Yes,  and  if  any  one  appeared  to  have  made 
up  his  mind  to  do  nothing,  it  was  certainly 
Jacques  d'Anguilhon." 

"  It  has  taken  her  some  time  to  convert  him. 
Europeans  do  seem  to  me  to  be  rooted  in  their 
own  prejudices  and  ideas.  If  one  proposes  any- 
thing to  an  American,  he  very  soon  answers 
1  Yes '  or  '  No  ' ;  but  as  for  you — why,  you  have 
to  go  down  to  unheard-of  depths  before  you  can 
come  to  any  decision.  I  am  beginning  to  get 
used  to  it  now,  but  I  can  tell  you  it  has  made 
me  gnash  my  teeth.  You  know  I  have  done 
marvels  considering  that  I  have  been  married 


326  Eve  Triumphant 

only  about  twenty  months;  and  then  remember 
the  obstacles  of  all  kinds,  and  the  prejudices  I 
have  had  to  contend  with !  When  I  think  about 
it,  I  can't  help  feeling  some  admiration  for 
myself.  If  I  had  stayed  in  America  I  should 
never  have  known  my  own  worth." 

"  I  must  own  that,  knowing  your  character 
and  Lelo's,  I  should  not  have  thought  that  your 
conjugal  chariot  would  have  run  so  smoothly." 

"  Ah,  but  it  is  because  I  am  always  oiling  the 
wheels — and  with  the  oil  of  wisdom,  which  costs 
me  a  great  deal ! "  said  the  Countess,  looking 
very  serious;  and  then  suddenly,  as  though  to 
change  the  subject,  she  added :  "  By-the-bye,  do 
you  know  that  the  Ronalds  are  in  Paris?  " 

"  Really?  " 

"  Henry  has  been  sent  there  as  a  delegate  to 
represent  the  United  States  at  the  International 
Chemistry  Congress." 

"  Will  they  come  to  Rome?  " 

"  To  Rome !  Oh,  certainly  not !  My  worthy 
uncle  has  not  yet  forgiven  me  for  my  marriage, 
and  we  do  not  write  to  each  other.  Helen's 
letters,  even,  are  not  very  cordial,  but  I  have 
kept  up  my  correspondence  with  her,  as  I  did 
not  want  to  break  off  all  bonds  with  my  family 
and  my  country.  It  is  very  odd — I  never  liked 
America  so  much  as  now  that  I  am  away  from 
it." 

"  When  you  write  to  Mrs.  Ronald,  will  you 
remember  me  to  her?" 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    327 

"  I  will,  and  I  am  going  to  write  to  her  this 
very  evening,  as  I  want  her  to  choose  me  some 
pretty  spring  dresses.  I  promise  you,  too,  that 
I  will  besiege  my  dear  husband  once  again 
about  this  post,  and  if  I  fail,  I  will  return  to 
the  charge  when  there  is  another  vacancy. 
Give  me  time,  for  you  know  Lelo  is  very 
stubborn." 

As  Dora  spoke,  some  of  the  guests  rose  and 
came  to  take  leave  of  her.  This  was  the  signal 
of  departure,  as  it  was  nearly  midnight. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  said  Sant'  Anna  to  one  of 
his  friends.  "  I  will  come  with  you  as  far  as 
the  club." 

"  Are  you  going  out  at  this  hour?  "  said  Dora, 
not  very  well  pleased. 

"  Yes,  I  must  have  a  breath  of  fresh  air.  I 
shall  be  back  in  a  few  minutes." 

The  necessity  of  having  a  breath  of  fresh  air 
is  a  favourite  pretext  with  the  Italian  husband. 

After  giving  orders  for  the  lights  to  be  put  out, 
the  Countess  went  to  pay  her  usual  visit  to  the 
little  Guido.  Standing  near  to  his  cradle,  with 
a  gentle  expression  which  was  very  rare  on  her 
face,  she  looked  down  at  the  lovely  head  covered 
with  thick  curls  of  golden-brown  hair.  She 
watched  the  child  for  a  few  minutes  as  he 
slept,  then,  after  taking  one  of  his  little  hands 
in  hers,  to  try  his  temperature,  went  quietly 
away  again. 

In  spite  of  her  husband's  repeated  injunctions, 


328  Eve  Triumphant 

she  nearly  always  waited  up  for  him.  Her  days 
were  so  full  that  she  often  found  no  other  time 
for  her  correspondence.  This  evening  she  wanted 
to  write  to  Mrs.  Ronald,  and  to  keep  the  pro- 
mise she  had  made  to  the  Marquis  Verga.  She 
herself  was  most  anxious  to  see  Lelo  at  Court. 
He  had  presented  her  to  the  King  and  Queen, 
and  at  her  repeated  entreaties  had  taken  her 
that  winter  to  two  of  the  Quirinal  balls.  This 
had  been  to  a  certain  extent  the  origin  of  the 
indirect  offer  he  had  received,  but  Dora  felt  sure 
that  he  would  not  compromise  himself  any 
further. 

The  young  wife  took  off  her  dress  and  put 
on  an  exquisite  peignoir  of  pale  pink,  trimmed 
with  lace  and  ribbons,  and  seating  herself  near 
the  fire,  just  under  the  light  of  a  tall  electric 
lamp,  with  her  writing-case  on  her  knees,  she 
began  her  letter.  Without  stopping  once,  she 
filled  eight  pages  with  her  large  handwriting — 
an  extravagant  style  very  characteristic  of  her 
originality.  When  she  had  finished  her  letter 
she  glanced  at  the  clock.  It  was  one.  Lelo 
had  promised  to  come  back  promptly,  and,  as 
usual,  had  not  kept  his  word.  As  she  thought 
of  this,  her  lips  contracted  slightly  at  the  cor- 
ners. When  Sant'  Anna  promised  his  wife  any- 
thing he  always  intended  to  keep  his  word,  but 
as  he  had  never  been  accustomed  to  struggle 
against  the  tide,  he  invariably  let  himself  be 
persuaded  by  a  friend,  or  tempted  by  a  game 


The  Family  and  the  Newcomer    329 

of  cards,  or  anything  else.  He  was  always  ready 
afterwards  with  glib  excuses,  such  as  an  Italian 
alone  could  invent,  and  with  pretty  speeches 
wbich  quite  disarmed  Dora.  She  always  for- 
gave him,  and  was  angry  with  herself  afterwards 
for  her  weakness.  While  she  sat  there,  waiting 
for  him  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  she  began 
to  think  of  everything  that  had  happened  dur- 
ing these  past  twenty  months.  Events  and  im- 
pressions of  all  kinds  crowded  to  her  mind,  until, 
her  imagination  getting  dulled  with  fatigue,  the 
pictures  she  had  called  up  grew  hazy,  and  at 
last,  leaning  her  head  against  the  chair,  she  fell 
asleep.  It  was  nearly  two  o'clock  when  Sant' 
Anna  returned.  Instead  of  merely  accompany- 
ing his  friend  to  the  club,  as  he  had  intended, 
he  had  gone  in  with  him.  Some  one  had  pro- 
posed five  games  of  ecarte,  and  he  had  played 
ten,  and  then  fifteen,  with  worse  and  worse  luck 
every  time.  Bad  luck  exasperates  the  Italian 
more  than  the  loss  of  money,  so  that  when 
Lelo  entered  the  little  salon,  with  his  candle 
in  his  hand,  he  looked  very  bad-tempered.  His 
wife,  deep  in  her  first  sleep,  had  not  heard 
him  come  in,  so  that  he  found  her  in  her  arm- 
chair. 

"  Dora ! "  he  called,  and  with  a  start  she 
opened  her  eyes,  and  stood  up.  "  Why  did  n't 
you  go  to  bed?  It 's  insufferable  to  find  you 
always  curled  up  like  a  cat  waiting  for  me." 

"  You  promised  to  come  back  at  once,  and  I 


33°  Eve  Triumphant 

had  a  letter  to  write;  and  then,  too,  I  wanted 
to  speak  to  you  about  this  post." 

If  Dora's  eyes  had  not  been  full  of  sleep,  she 
would  have  seen,  from  her  husband's  expression, 
that  the  moment  was  ill-timed. 

"  Now  I  'm  in  for  it !  "  said  the  Count,  putting 
his  candlestick  down  on  the  chimney-piece. 

"  Have  you  thought  it  over,  as  you  promised 
Verga?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  And  what  do  you  intend  doing?  " 

"  I  intend  thanking  them — and  refusing." 

"  Oh,  Lelo !  I  had  so  hoped " 

"  You  were  mistaken,  then.  I  do  not  care  to 
give  up  my  liberty,  and  to  have  all  sorts  of 
worries  and  bothers." 

"  You  might  as  well  say  that  you  are  afraid 
of  displeasing  your  family." 

"  That 's  just  it.     You  have  guessed  right." 

"  My  wishes  don't  count,  then,  with  you? 
Your  mother  and  your  sister  are  more  to  you 
than  your  wife?  " 

"  You  want  to  get  up  a  scene?  Oh,  well— 
good-night !  "  and  Lelo,  who  had  picked  up  his 
candlestick,  turned  round  and  left  the  room. 

Dora  remained  there  for  a  few  seconds,  as 
though  petrified  with  amazement,  then  a  rush  of 
blood  mounted  to  her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  flashed 
ominously,  while  the  lower  part  of  her  face  was 
quite  drawn  with  anger. 

"Ah!  that's  it — is  it?"  she  exclaimed  aloud. 
«  Very  well — we  '11  see !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

A   PARTISAN   OP   THE   WHITES 

AS  a  rule,  people  have  utterly  wrong  notions 
with  regard  to  Italians.  The  general  idea 
is  that  they  are  ardent,  passionate,  enthusiastic, 
false,  and  treacherous.  This  is  quite  a  mistake. 
The  fire  which  animates  their  eyes  and  gestures, 
that  fire  which  love,  jealousy,  or  politics  will 
bring  to  a  flame,  is  only  on  the  surface.  They 
are  cold,  calculating,  and  subtle — reasonable 
beings,  but  subject  to  sudden  blazes  of  passion 
— weak,  but  capable  of  fits  of  energy — egoists, 
swayed  by  the  impulse  of  the  moment  to  acts  of 
kindliness  and  self-sacrifice.  Their  language, 
which  one  might  think  was  specially  invented 
for  the  guitar,  is,  on  the  contrary,  severe,  noble, 
and  difficult  to  employ.  It  neither  lends  it- 
self to  conversation  nor  to  romance,  but  is 
pre-eminently  the  language  for  poetry  and 
philosophy.  The  Italian  race  and  tongue  are 
classic,  carrying  out  fixed  and  rigid  laws  of 
harmony.  They  have  at  last  commenced  their 
evolution;  and  this  evolution,  helped  on  by  re- 
gained liberty,  science,  and  foreign  marriages, 
is  preparing  a  glorious  resurrection  for  them. 

331. 


332  Eve  Triumphant 

The  Italians  and  the  French  have  had  the 
same  father,  but  not  the  same  mother.  The 
Italians  are  the  eldest  and  the  legitimate  sons 
of  the  Latin  race,  which  gave  to  them  their 
beautiful  form,  their  noble  bearing,  and  feminine 
gentleness.  Their  Italian  mother  was  violated 
by  Barbarians  on  the  battle-fields,  and  to  this 
violation  the  French  owe  their  birth.  Gauls  and 
Franks  have  left  on  them  their  impress,  some- 
thing of  their  dreams  and  of  their  genius;  they 
gave  them  their  agile  bodies,  their  irregular  fea- 
tures, which  are  always  ennobled  and  idealised 
by  the  maternal  soul.  This  semi-fraternity  ex- 
plains the  latent  antagonism  which  exists  be- 
tween the  two  nations,  their  quarrels,  their 
reconciliations,  their  fits  of  hatred  and  of  affec- 
tion. This  hereditary  dissimilarity  of  char- 
acter is  particularly  remarkable  in  their  love 
affairs  and  marriages.  It  is  an  accepted  fact 
among  American  women  that  the  Italian  makes 
a  better  husband  for  a  foreigner  than  the  French- 
man, and  this  is  incontestable.  His  nature,  al- 
though refined,  is  much  more  simple.  In  conjugal 
life  he  needs  no  art,  no  illusions,  and  no  ideality. 
All  he  asks  is  that  his  wife  shall  be  pretty,  that 
she  shall  bear  him  children,  encroach  as  little  as 
possible  on  his  liberty,  not  wear  him  out  with 
sentimentality,  and  make  allowance  for  his 
nerves.  As  Madame  Verga  had  said,  he  is  un- 
faithful but  constant.  He  has  a  decided  pre- 
ference for  the  Saxon  race,  and  instinctively  he 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         333 

seeks  out  the  English  or  American  woman,  while 
on  their  side  the  English  and  American  women 
are  inevitably  attracted  by  the  Italian.  Accus- 
tomed though  they  are  to  men  of  action,  they 
fall  in  love  most  easily  with  this  dreamy,  idle 
being.  They  do  not  understand  him,  but  they 
love  him  all  the  more  blindly  on  that  account. 
This  was  the  case  with  Dora.  Her  husband  was 
a  living  mystery  to  her,  but  he  interested,  exas- 
perated, and  charmed  her.  Like  most  of  his 
compatriots,  he  was  quick-tempered,  but  his 
anger  was  quickly  over;  at  times,  too,  he  had 
fits  of  sullen  silence,  which  were  more  trying 
still,  and  which  were  caused  by  the  least  thing 
that  went  wrong,  by  too  hasty  a  word  from  his 
wife,  or  even  by  the  presence  of  some  person  he 
disliked,  and  often  only  the  result  of  those 
melancholy  turns  and  strange  reveries  to  which 
men  of  very  ancient  race  are  subject.  Dora  de- 
clared that  at  such  times  he  rolled  himself  up 
like  a  hedgehog,  and  she  would  say  to  him  in 
the  most  serious  tone : 

"  Lelo,  please,  don't  curl  up ! " 

The  comparison,  which  was  so  exact,  and  the 
comical  expression  in  English,  had  had  great 
success  in  the  Italo- American  clan,  and  was  con- 
stantly repeated.  When  the  Countess  saw  that 
her  husband  had  "  curled  up,"  she  kept  quiet,  and 
at  a  safe  distance;  and  when  he  was  himself 
again,  he  would  thank  her  with  a  smile,  or  a 
few  affectionate  words,  for  having  let  him  alone. 


334  Eve  Triumphant 

Sant'  Anna  had  said  one  day  to  his  wife,  when 
there  had  been  some  difference  of  opinion  be- 
tween them,  that  she  would  never  comprehend 
the  Latin  soul,  and  this  had  stung  her  to  the 
quick.  His  words,  and  the  fact  itself,  had 
roused  her,  and  she  had  replied  in  the  most 
merciless  way ;  but  she  was  perfectly  well  aware 
that  the  Latin  soul  is  made  up  of  sentiments 
and  sensations  which  escaped  her  altogether.  It 
had  been  no  vain  boast  when  she  had  told  the 
Marquis  Verga  that  she  "  oiled  the  wheels  of 
the  conjugal  chariot."  She  had  learnt  to  weigh 
her  words,  and  had  endeavoured  to  soften  down 
her  brusqueness.  Mrs.  Carroll,  who  knew  her 
character,  was  perfectly  astonished.  Up  to  the 
time  of  her  marriage,  Dora  had  never  consid- 
ered any  one  but  herself.  She  was  no  longer 
self-centred,  for  Lelo  had  become  her  one  object 
in  life,  and  it  was  his  will  and  pleasure  that 
she  now  consulted,  instead  of  her  own. 

Dora  saw  her  husband's  faults  and  weaknesses 
quite  clearly,  but  she  attributed  them  to  his 
education.  She  considered  his  family  to  blame 
for  his  fits  of  bad  temper,  his  injustice,  and  his 
obstinacy,  and  it  was  with  his  family  alone  that 
she  was  angry. 

After  the  scene  which  we  have  related,  hold- 
ing her  mother-in-law  and  sister-in-law  respon- 
sible for  it,  she  went  into  her  own  room  boiling 
over  with  indignation ;  and  as  she  undressed,  her 
fingers  trembling  with  rage,  she  kept  repeating: 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         335 

"  And  so  that 's  it,  is  it?  Very  well — very 
well — we  '11  see ! " 

When  men  have  been  in  the  wrong  about  any- 
thing, they  can  generally  forget  the  matter  with 
the  greatest  ease.  The  Italian  is  cleverer  than 
any  other  man  at  making  good  his  offences. 

The  following  morning  Lelo,  looking  perfectly 
refreshed,  and  his  face  beaming  with  good 
humour,  entered  his  wife's  room  and  proposed 
to  take  her  for  a  drive  in  the  phaeton  that  after- 
noon. This  was  one  of  her  greatest  enjoyments, 
and  she  had  not  the  courage  to  punish  herself 
by  refusing.  She  accepted,  but  in  a  cool,  indif- 
ferent manner  that  was  very  well  feigned.  In 
addition  to  this,  on  waking  up  that  morning  a 
brilliant  idea  had  come  to  her,  an  idea  which 
had  made  her  utter  a  cry  of  delight,  and  had 
completely  brought  her  round.  The  previous 
winter,  before  Dora  was  quite  settled  in  her  new 
abode,  she  had  taken  a  fancy  to  give  some  din- 
ners, suppers,  and  teas  at  the  hotel,  as  she  would 
have  done  in  New  York.  Her  husband  had  con- 
sented to  this,  but  not  without  some  difficulty. 
The  innovation  had  been  criticised,  and  among 
the  Blacks  much  fun  had  been  made  of  it.  In 
spite  of  this,  her  entertainments  had  gone  off 
very  well,  and  princes,  dukes,  owners  of  palaces 
and  houses  with  the  most  sumptuous  appoint- 
ments, had  also  commenced  receiving  their 
guests  at  the  hotel,  as  they  found  it  simpler 
and  less  expensive.  Their  example  was  soon  fol- 


336  Eve  Triumphant 

lowed,  and  at  present  in  Rome  many  great  ladies 
exhibit  their  toilettes,  their  shoulders,  and  their 
hereditary  jewels  in  the  commonplace  surround- 
ings of  a  restaurant.  These  little  American  din- 
ners, in  place  of  the  splendid,  aristocratic  repasts 
of  olden  times,  seem  incongruous ;  and  Dora,  who 
introduced  them,  has,  without  being  aware  of  it, 
a  great  sin  on  her  conscience.  This  year,  as  her 
house  was  quite  finished,  she  had  been  able  to 
invite  her  friends  to  her  home,  and  Lelo  in- 
tended that  it  should  always  be  thus  from 
henceforth. 

The  second  day  after  the  little  scene  which 
had  mortified  her  so  cruelly,  Dora  was  giving 
a  grand  dinner  in  honour  of  the  new  Minister 
of  the  United  States,  who  was  a  particular 
friend  of  the  family.  The  invitations  had  been 
sent  out  more  than  a  week  before. 

The  guests  were  to  be  the  members  of  the 
Diplomatic  Corps,  some  Romans,  and  Lelo's 
sister  and  brother-in-law.  It  should  be  a  white 
dinner — everything  should  be  white!  This  was 
the  triumphant  idea  which  had  come  to  her. 
They  had  wanted  to  win  her  husband  back  to 
the  Black  party,  but  she  would  arrange  her  coup 
d'etat,  and  let  every  one  know  definitely  to 
which  side  she  and  her  husband  belonged.  It 
was  a  capital  way  of  retaliating,  and  the  idea 
of  it  made  her  eyes  shine  all  day  with  mischief. 

She  asked  Lelo  to  leave  her  the  entire  respon- 
sibility of  all  the  orders  and  arrangements,  tell- 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         337 

ing  him  that  she  wanted  to  try  whether  she 
could  manage  everything  creditably  herself.  He 
was  not  to  see  or  know  anything.  He  pro- 
mised gaily  to  shut  his  eyes,  and,  as  it  hap- 
pened, chance  favoured  Dora's  plan.  While  at 
luncheon,  the  Count  received  a  telegram  from 
his  head  groom  at  Frascati,  telling  him  that  his 
favourite  horse  was  ill.  He  started  off  at  once, 
taking  with  him  the  veterinary  surgeon. 

All  the  flowers  that  the  Countess  had  ordered 
arrived  in  the  afternoon,  and,  with  the  doors 
closed,  she  spent  some  hours  in  decorating  the 
table  and  the  room.  She  worked  away  under 
the  impetus  of  the  rancour  she  felt,  revelling  in 
the  thought  of  the  dismay  of  her  brother-in-law, 
her  sister-in-law — and  her  husband.  She  was 
not  quite  so  satisfied  with  herself  when  she 
thought  about  the  latter,  and  she  wondered 
whether  he  would  be  very  furious.  She  sud- 
denly realised  the  boldness  of  the  action  she 
was  about  to  commit,  and  for  a  moment  she 
hesitated,  feeling  remorseful  because  she  knew 
it  would  displease  the  Cardinal.  The  next 
minute  she  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  It  can't  be  helped,"  she  said  to  herself ;  "  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  give  all  these  Sant' 
Annas  a  lesson,  and  show  them  of  what  an 
American  woman  is  made !  " 

Lelo  returned  from  Frascati  just  in  time  to 
dress,  and  at  eight  o'clock  all  the  guests  were 
assembled  in  the  salon.  When  the  footman  had 


338  Eve  Triumphant 

pronounced  the  traditional  phrase,  the  Count 
offered  his  arm  to  the  wife  of  the  American 
Ambassador.  On  reaching  the  doorway  of  the 
dining-room,  his  eyes  fell  on  the  table,  mag- 
nificently laid.  He  turned  pale  with  the  shock, 
and  had  to  bite  his  lip  in  order  to  control  the 
sudden  anger  which  was  aroused  within  him. 
A  white  dinner!  Dora  had  dared  to  go  as  far 
as  that !  No  one  could  make  any  mistake  about 
it.  The  gilding  of  the  ceiling,  the  mahogany 
wainscoting,  the  red  and  green  livery  of  the 
footmen,  all  served  as  a  background  to  show  up 
in  the  most  merciless  way  the  symbolical  colour. 
The  little  candle-shades  were  white;  there  were 
exquisite  white  roses  in  the  silver  epergne,  and 
white  camelias,  carnations,  and  lilies-of-the- 
valley  scattered  about  artistically  on  the  fine 
Flemish  table-cloth,  in  which  was  woven  the 
crest  of  the  Sant'  Annas.  On  taking  her  seat 
opposite  her  husband,  Dora  met  his  flashing  eyes 
fixed  on  her.  She  held  her  own,  without  any 
appearance  of  bravado  or  any  sign  of  flinching, 
and  only  pressed  her  lips  more  tightly  together 
in  order  to  strengthen  herself  inwardly.  Turn- 
ing towards  the  Duke  and  the  Duchess  of  Avel- 
lina,  she  saw  with  intense  delight  the  expression 
of  surprise  and  discomfiture  wrhich  was  written 
on  their  faces.  Donna  Pia  soon  recovered,  and 
looking  from  one  end  of  the  table  to  the  other, 
she  remarked,  somewhat  imprudently: 
"  This  looks  like  a  bridal  dinner !  " 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         339 

"  Or  rather  a  political  dinner,"  said  the  Count- 
ess; adding,  with  a  smile,  as  she  turned  to  her 
compatriot :  "  White  is  the  right  colour,  when 
one  is  receiving  a  Minister  accredited  to  the 
King  of  Italy." 

"  Ah,  true,  I  had  forgotten !  "  said  the  Duchess, 
with  the  impertinence  which  a  woman  of  high 
degree  knows  how  to  carry  off.  "  It  is  a  very 
pretty  idea  of  yours." 

"Yes,  isn't  it?"  agreed  Dora,  with  a  most 
innocent  expression.  "  I  'm  glad  you  like  it." 

The  Romans  who  were  present  were  the  only 
ones  to  hear  the  animosity  and  the  anger  hidden 
under  the  apparently  amiable  words.  There  was 
a  moment  of  constraint  caused  by  the  fluids 
which  had  materialised  the  hostility  of  the  two 
women,  but  thanks  to  her  easy  good-humour,  the 
Countess  soon  dispersed  the  cloud,  and  during 
the  rest  of  the  repast  she  was  careful  to  avoid 
anything  which  might  have  disturbed  afresh  the 
serenity  of  the  atmosphere.  The  dinner  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  reception,  at  which  there  was  to  be 
music.  Directly  after  the  coffee,  the  Duke 
and  the  Duchess  Avellina  excused  themselves 
on  the  plea  of  an  engagement;  but  every  one 
of  the  guests  understood  that  this  manoeuvre 
was  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  political 
protest. 

The  Marquis  Verga  was  the  only  one  who 
suspected  the  exact  truth,  and  curious  to  know 
whether  he  had  guessed  rightly,  he  took  ad  van- 


34°  Eve  Triumphant 

tage  of  a  propitious  moment  for  waylaying  his 
friend. 

"  What  a  happy  inspiration  you  had  in  giving 
this  white  dinner !  "  he  said. 

"  You  think  so !  "  answered  Lelo,  gnashing  his 
teeth.  "  Well,  you  can  congratulate  my  wife,  for 
the  idea  was  hers.  You  might  have  guessed  that. 
It  was  a  surprise  she  had  arranged  for  me !  " 

"  Oh,  that 's  a  good  joke — that  really  is  a  good 
one ! "  exclaimed  the  Marquis,  laughing. 

"  I  think  it  a  very  bad  joke,"  answered  Sant' 
Anna,  still  looking  grave.  "  These  American 
women  have  got  the  very  devil  in  them !  "  he 
added,  with  a  fresh  burst  of  anger. 

"  You  need  n't  tell  me  that,  for  I  know  it.  In 
this  instance,  though,  the  Countess  has  really 
done  you  a  service,  in  showing  the  true  colour 
of  your  opinions.  It  will  silence  all  those  who 
declare  that  you  are  reserving  yourself  lest  your 
uncle  should  be  elected  Pope." 

Lelo's  face  flushed  all  over. 

" I-mbecilli! "  (imbeciles!)  he  exclaimed,  with 
that  expression  of  stinging  contempt  which  the 
Italian  puts  into  this  word.  "  They  don't  know 
me,  then.  If  my  uncle  were  elected  Pope,  and 
were  to  continue  the  policy  of  his  predecessors, 
I  should  immediately  ask  for  some  office  at  Court 
in  order  to  show  my  loyalty  to  Italy,  for  I  am 
Italian,  and  I  felt  that  in  every  fibre  at  the  defeat 
of  Adona,"  he  added,  instinctively  lowering  his 
eyes. 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         341 

"  I  do  not  doubt  that.  Meanwhile,  this  white 
dinner  in  honour  of  the  Minister  of  the  United 
States  will  be  looked  upon  as  a  courageous 
initiative.  Do  not  attempt  to  disown  it !  " 

"  If  I  do  not,  it  is  out  of  consideration  for 
myself.  Dora  deserves  a  lesson." 

During  this  conversation,  the  subject  of  which 
the  young  wife  had  guessed,  she  had  watched, 
not  without  anxiety,  the  face  of  her  lord  and 
master,  and  she  did  not  feel  quite  at  her  ease. 
A  few  minutes  later  the  Marquis  managed  to 
draw  her  aside. 

"  Oh,  Countess,  Countess ! "  he  said,  with  a 
smile ;  "  you  go  ahead  rather  too  quickly !  " 

"  You  disapprove?  " 

"  As  a  husband — yes.  A  wife  has  no  right 
to  take  upon  herself  such  initiatives1.  Lelo,  from 
a  spirit  of  contradiction,  and  to  appease  his 
people,  will  now  go  a  step  back." 

"  No  matter,  I  have  had  my  little  satisfaction, 
and  every  one  will  know  to-morrow  to  which 
side  we  belong." 

"  Yes,  but  do  not  forget  our  proverb :  '  Chi 
va  piano  va  sano'  ['  Slow  and  sure']." 

During  the  rest  of  the  evening,  Dora  tried  in 
vain  to  catch  her  husband's  eye.  In  spite  of  her 
natural  courage,  she  could  not  help  dreading 
the  moment  when  she  would  have  to  face  his 
reproaches.  As  the  guests  began  to  depart,  her 
alarm  increased.  When,  towards  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  every  one  had  gone,  she  gave  her 


342  Eve  Triumphant 

final  orders  and  then  went  to  her  husband,  who, 
on  this  particular  evening,  had  not  needed  to 
go  out  for  a  breath  of  air. 

On  entering  the  little  salon  where  he  was 
waiting  for  her,  standing  up  in  front  of  the 
chimney-piece  with  "  his  savage  expression  on," 
as  she  said  to  herself,  she  gave  a  little  nervous 
laugh,  and  then,  going  towards  him,  bent  her 
head  and  clasped  her  diamond-covered  fingers 
together  above  her  forehead,  as  though  to  protect 
herself  from  some  projectile. 

"Don't  slay  me!"  she  said,  and  she  looked 
so  droll  that  the  Count  had  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty to  repress  a  smile. 

"  It  was  wrong  of  me,"  added  Dora,  drawing 
herself  up  to  her  full  height. 

"  Ah,  you  have  the  grace  to  acknowledge 
that!" 

"  Yes,  because  my  conscience  tells  me  so — 
rather  late  in  the  day,  certainly.  I  was  carried 
away  by  the  pleasure  of  avenging  myself  for 
your  snub  the  other  night,  and  by  my  wish  to 
see  you  Italian." 

"  Italian ! "  repeated  Lelo,  opening  his 
magnificent  eyes  wide.  "  What  am  I  then, 
pray?  " 

"  Koman !  Your  family  is  Roman — it  has  a 
religion,  but  not  a  patrie.  One's  patrie  is  the 
flag,  and  not  the  Church." 

Sant'  Anna  was  taken  aback. 

"  Indeed !  "  he  stammered  out. 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         343 

"  It  is  the  truth.  Your  son  will  be  Italian,  and 
you  cannot  be  in  an  opposite  camp." 

The  Count's  eyelids  twitched,  and  he  pulled 
his  moustache  nervously. 

"  I  do  not  blame  your  people " 

"  You  are  very  kind." 

"  I  do  not  blame  them,"  continued  Dora 
calmly,  "  because  they  could  scarcely  think 
otherwise  than  as  they  do,  but  they  are  trying 
to  get  you  back  to  the  Vatican,  and  that  is  what 
makes  me  mad." 

"  What  makes  you  mad  is  not  to  belong  to 
the  Court  yourself.  Your  ambition  is  not  so 
much  to  see  me  master  of  the  ceremonies  as  to 
be  lady-in-waiting  to  the  Queen.  You  American 
women  are  insatiable.  One  of  these  days  you 
will  be  asking  me  to  take  that  title  of  Neapolitan 
Prince  which  we  have  in  the  family." 

"  No,  no — never !  I  am  not  stupid  enough  to 
want  to  change  the  great  historic  name  of  Sant' 
Anna  for  that  of  a  man  of  whom  no  one  in 
Rome  has  ever  heard.  Besides,  a  princely  crown 
would  frighten  me." 

"  That 's  fortunate !  And  now  we  are  Whites 
— Whites!"  repeated  the  Count  furiously.  "You 
have  proclaimed  it,  and  I  am  not  going  to  deny 
it.  That  must  suffice,  though;  for  as  long  as 
my  mother  lives,  we  shall  go  no  further  with 
our  political  demonstrations.  I  do  not  wish  to 
offend  her,  nor  to  grieve  her  any  more.  You 
look  upon  this  deference  as  contemptible  senti- 


344  Eve  Triumphant 

mentality.  Such  sentimentality  is  in  my  Latin 
nature  and  character,  and  I  beg  that  in  future 
you  will  respect  it.  To-morrow  the  confounded 
newspapers  will  have  your  white  dinner  for  the 
subject  of  their  society  gossip,  and  some  folks 
will  praise  me,  and  the  rest  will  insult  me.  This 
is  all  that  you  have  gained." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  said  Dora,  greatly 
abashed.  "  I  am  so  sorry !  " 

"  No,  you  never  thought  of  it.  If  there  are 
a  few  women  who  think,  there  are  precious  few 
who  reflect,  and  certainly  you  are  not  one  of  the 
latter.  You  ought  to  have  known  that  you  can- 
not make  so  free  with  things  and  people  in  the 
Old  World.  Home,  which  was  not  built  in  a 
day,  cannot  be  demolished  in  a  day — even  by 
American  women." 

"  After  all,"  said  the  young  wife,  rather  im- 
patiently, "  there  is  no  great  harm  done.  It  is 
always  honourable  to  have  the  courage  of  one's 
opinions." 

"  When  it  is  necessary,  yes ;  but  when  it  only 
serves  to  bring  you  all  kinds  of  annoyance,  why, 
it  is  idiotic !  "  replied  Lelo. 

The  Countess,  who  was  still  standing,  put  her 
arms  round  her  husband's  neck. 

"  Come,  now,  Lelo;  don't  you  think  you  have 
said  enough  disagreeable  things  to  me  for  to- 
night? "  she  said,  in  a  droll  way.  "  You  must 
feel  quite  relieved." 

She  was  in  front  of  her  husband,  with  her 


A  Partisan  of  the  Whites         345 

cheeks  flushed  and  her  eyes  shining  between 
their  long  lashes.  She  looked  very  pretty  in  her 
dress  of  soft  white  satin,  all  scented  from  the 
flowers  she  was  wearing  in  her  bodice,  and  Sant' 
Anna  looked  away,  in  order  to  escape  the  seduc- 
tion of  her  youth  and  her  charm.  He  tried  to 
disengage  himself  from  her  embrace,  but  she 
clasped  her  hands  more  tightly  round  his  neck, 
and  then,  seized  with  an  inspiration  extraor- 
dinary enough  in  the  former  Miss  Carroll,  she 
said: 

"  Let  us  go  and  see  baby !  " 

And  the  Count,  suddenly  pacified,  his  face 
softening  as  he  thought  of  his  son,  allowed 
himself  to  be  led  away  without  any  further 
resistance. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

OLD  SCENES  AND  NEW   IDEALS 

T  OVE  had  changed  the  course  of  Mrs.  Ron- 
I—/  aid's  life  as  well  as  of  Dora's,  and  the 
twenty  months  which  had  glided  by  had  been 
for  her,  equally,  a  period  of  great  activity.  Her 
change  of  religion  had  caused  a  great  sensation 
in  New  York  society.  The  president  of  the 
Colonial  Ladies  abandoning  the  fashionable 
Episcopal  Church  of  America  to  become  a 
Roman  Catholic  was  an  outrageous  thing!  The 
Association  veiled  its  face,  but  it  did  not  with- 
draw from  her  its  honours. 

Her  conversion  scandalised  every  one  all  the 
more  from  the  fact  that,  in  the  United  States, 
Catholicism  is  generally  looked  upon  as  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Irish  and  of  the  poor.  Vanity  is 
a  formidable  obstacle  to  it.  When  a  few  con- 
verts of  high  social  rank  have  made  Catholicism 
fashionable,  it  will  not  be  long  in  winning  the 
battle.  In  the  meantime,  it  seems  to  be  making 
rather  rapid  progress,  and  the  question  is,  will 
it  take  root  definitely?  Religious  beliefs  are  like 
germs — the  ground  on  which  they  fall  either 

346 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals       347 

nourishes  or  kills  them.  If  Catholicism  should 
live  in  the  United  States,  it  will  have  its  evolu- 
tion there;  it  will  develop  there  in  the  same 
way  that  it  developed  in  Mrs.  Ronald's  soul. 
The  American  brain  will  be  the  crucible  from 
which  it  will  come  forth,  purified  from  all  the 
dross  produced  by  ignorance  and  superstition. 
It  will  become  more  vigorous,  more  wholesome, 
less  sensual,  and  less  mystic.  It  will  accept 
scientific  discoveries  as  so  many  revelations,  and 
recognise  the  psychical  and  natural  forces  which 
produce  miracles.  It  will  no  longer  practise 
charity  which  humiliates,  but  fraternity  which 
ennobles.  It  will  reveal  to  man  his  true  mis- 
sion, his  role  of  artist  and  workman  in  the  uni- 
versal work.  It  will  either  become  all  this,  or 
it  will  remain  the  heritage  of  the  Irish,  of  the 
poor  and  the  ignorant.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Catholicism,  intangible  in  its  essence,  has  as 
many  characters  as  there  are  peoples  and  races. 
In  England,  it  is  rigid,  simple,  and  virile;  in 
Spain,  sensual,  savage,  and  fanatical;  in  Italy, 
feeble  and  superstitious;  in  France,  sentimental 
and  idealistic.  One  may  say  that  it  has  its  body 
in  the  Saxon  race,  its  soul  in  the  Latin  race, 
and  it  will  probably  have  its  mind  in  America, 

On  her  return,  Helen  was  interviewed  and 
assailed  with  questions.  She  had  to  hold  her 
own  against  the  most  furious  attacks.  Her 
friends  were  astonished  that  she  could  have  em- 
braced a  religion  made  up  of  coarse  superstition. 


348  Eve  Triumphant 

She  answered,  in  her  most  peremptory  tone,  that 
they  were  talking  about  things  they  did  not 
understand ;  that  there  was  a  higher  and  a  lower 
Catholicism,  and  that  the  former,  the  one  that 
she  knew,  was  a  religion  which  was  extremely 
advanced — the  religion  of  the  future,  in  fact. 
She  pointed  out  triumphantly  the  logic  of  it, 
the  series  of  symbolical  dogmas  starting  with 
the  legend  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  then  the 
poetry,  the  spirituality  of  its  form  of  worship. 
She  finished  up  by  declaring  that  she  preferred 
belonging  to  a  Church  which  had  a  chief,  be- 
cause a  body  which  had  even  an  imperfect  head 
was  better  than  a  body  with  no  head  at  all. 
Into  her  strange  apology  she  put  that  character- 
istic ardour  which  the  American  woman  always 
employs  when  she  wishes  to  propagate  an  idea. 
She  never  for  a  moment  imagined  that,  with  her 
advanced  conception  of  Catholicism,  she  had 
rushed  into  absolute  heresy.  If  the  Abbe  de 
Rovel  had  heard  her,  he  would  have  been  amazed 
and  horrified  to  see  how  his  teaching  had  de- 
veloped in  this  lucid  and  modern  transatlantic 
mind. 

Miss  Beauchamp  was  deeply  grieved  at  what 
she  termed  her  niece's  folly.  She  attributed  it 
to  her  sojourn  in  the  Convent  of  the  Assumption. 
She  did  not  reproach  her  with  it,  and  never  even 
made  the  slightest  allusion  to  the  subject,  and 
this  very  reserve  proved  how  painful  it  was  to 
her.  Helen,  having  invited  herself  to  luncheon 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals       349 

on  a  certain  Friday,  found  the  menu  specially 
prepared  for  her  fasting-day.  She  could  not  help 
admiring  the  conscientious  scruples  which  had 
dictated  this. 

"  You  shall  have  a  good  mark,  Aunt  Sophie," 
she  said  smiling.  "  You  deserve  to  become  a 
Catholic." 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  the  worthy  spinster, 
drawing  herself  up  to  her  full  height,  morally 
and  physically,  "  the  religion  of  my  parents 
suffices  for  me.  It  has  served  for  several  gen- 
erations of  honourable  men  and  women." 

Although  Mrs.  Ronald  did  not  find  in  her 
new  faith  the  absolute  peace  for  which  she  had 
hoped,  still  it  gave  her  much  happiness  and  an 
ever-increasing  inward  satisfaction.  Her  soul 
was  becoming  spiritualised,  and  had  been  trans- 
formed in  a  marvellous  way,  but  it  was  still 
incapable  of  soaring  aloft  in  one  of  those  flights 
which  break  for  ever  all  terrestrial  bonds. 

Among  the  priests  of  St.  Patrick's,  her  parish, 
Helen  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with 
an  American  of  Irish  descent,  upon  whom  it 
seemed  that  Cardinal  Manning's  mantle  had 
fallen.  Father  O'Neill  was  a  man  who  loved 
humanity  for  its  'own  sake.  He  managed  to 
turn  the  new  convert's  heart  and  mind  towards 
the  poor  and  unfortunate,  and  under  his  inspira- 
tion Mrs.  Ronald  put  into  execution  that  prin- 
ciple of  mutual  aid  which  is  the  higher  force 
of  charity.  She  gave  herself  up  to  saving  hu- 


350  Eve  Triumphant 

man  beings,  body  and  soul,  and  in  this  work 
she  found  an  interest  and  an  excitement  which 
grew  more  and  more  intense.  Instead  of  the 
famous  league  against  luxury  which  she  had 
been  tempted  to  create,  she  founded  a  league 
against  vice,  dirt,  ugliness,  and  sickness.  She 
enrolled  as  apostles  young  girls,  young  men,  and 
millionaires,  asking  the  latter  for  money,  and 
the  former  for  their  active  help.  No  one  had  the 
courage  to  refuse  her  anything.  Her  beauty  and 
her  fascination  brought  her  in  now  not  only  use- 
less admiration,  but  magnificent  gifts  which  were 
used  for  humanitarian  works.  In  twenty  months 
she  had  done  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  she  had 
acquired  such  power  that  some  of  her  best  friends 
accused  her  of  making  charity  serve  as  a  means 
of  coquetry. 

This  new  life  kept  her  naturally  from  indulg- 
ing in  dangerous  souvenirs,  but  did  not  root  out 
of  her  heart  the  cruel  love  she  had  brought  back 
with  her  from  Europe.  That  seemed  impreg- 
nable, for  the  united  forces  of  religion  and 
charity  had  been  powerless  to  drive  it  away. 
Each  letter  she  received  from  Rome  unsettled 
her  for  a  week  or  two.  Dora  had  always  been 
accustomed  to  tell  her  everything,  and  she  con- 
tinued to  do  so,  although  she  received  no  en- 
couragement whatever.  Lelo's  name  was  on 
every  page,  and  that  name  had  not  lost  its  occult 
power  over  Mrs.  Ronald; — Lelo,  two  syllables, 
mere  black  letters  on  white  paper,  but  at  sight 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals       351 

of  them  her  heart  beat  faster,  the  colour  came 
into  her  face,  and.  her  lips  quivered.  Like  a 
warm  iron  on  sympathetic  ink,  the  four  letters 
revived  in  her  mind  the  features  of  Count  Sant' 
Anna,  the  sound  of  his  voice,  and  carried  her 
back  to  that  beautiful  Lucerne  and  Ouchy  dream 
which  had  retained  all  the  seduction  of  the 
unreal. 

She  felt  that  she  had  not  regained  her  liberty, 
and  she  was  furious  at  this  thought.  She 
dreaded,  and  yet  longed,  for  these  letters  from 
Rome.  She  glanced  through  them  first  hastily, 
as  though  they  might  burn  her,  and  then  she 
read  them  again  and  again.  All  of  them  con- 
tained some  message  from  Lelo,  a  few  kind, 
affectionate  words,  which  at  times  seemed  to 
her  ironical  and  hypocritical,  and  which  gave 
her  a  wild  desire  to  avenge  herself.  When  she 
read  between  the  lines  some  of  Dora's  disillu- 
sions, she  experienced  a  mean,  petty  delight,  and 
this,  proving  as  it  did  her  own  inferiority,  made 
her  feel  thoroughly  ashamed  of  herself.  At 
every  fresh  crisis  of  this  kind,  which  was  like 
a  painful  relapse,  her  life,  which  was  so  brilliant 
and  so  full,  seemed  to  her  dreary  and  empty. 
An  immense  discouragement  would  take  posses- 
sion of  her,  and  she  would  keep  saying  to  herself 
over  and  over  again,  in  utter  weariness  of  soul: 
"  What  is  the  good  of  it  all?  What  is  the  good 
of  it  all?  " 

At  such  times  she  was  insensible  even  to  the 


352  Eve  Triumphant 

joy  she  was  giving  to  others;  her  thoughts  wan- 
dered from  the  suffering  poor,  and  instinctively 
her  eyes  would  turn  to  Willie  Grey's  picture  of 
Titania's  Folly,,  which  she  had  hung  in  her 
dressing-room.  And  it  was  not  the  dumb  face 
of  the  ass  at  which  she  gazed,  but  the  trans- 
figured countenance  of  the  poor,  love-sick  woman. 
She  would  have  liked  to  love  in  this  way,  blindly 
and  fervently. 

These  fits  of  weakness  were  not  of  long  dura- 
tion with  her;  they  were  the  outcome  of  a  fleet- 
ing instinctive  desire,  after  which  she  was  soon 
herself  again,  and  would  then  thank  Providence 
sincerely  for  not  having  allowed  her  to  succumb 
to  that  horrible  temptation  at  Ouchy. 

During  these  bad  times  Helen  would  cling  in 
desperation  to  her  husband,  for  it  was  his  good- 
ness, his  superiority,  and  his  personality  which 
helped  her  the  most  efficaciously  to  drive  away 
the  vision  of  Sant'  Anna.  She  would  recall 
with  pride  the  little  scene  at  Monte  Carlo,  and 
the  manly  way  in  which  Mr.  Eonald  had  pun- 
ished the  insolence  of  her  admirer.  She  saw 
him  over  and  over  again,  with  his  tall  figure 
and  his  flashing  eyes.  Yes,  he  certainly  was  a 
man  to  be  proud  of!  She  liked  to  remember 
the  feeling  of  security  and  of  protection  she  had 
experienced  on  taking  his  arm  once  more  after 
all  those  months  of  separation.  The  idea  that 
she  was  no  longer  the  impeccable  wife  he  be- 
lieved her  had  humbled  her.  She  was  less  ex- 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals      353 

acting  with  him  now,  less  tyrannical,  and  did  not 
take  up  so  much  of  his  time.  When  he  could 
come  as  usual  to  sit  by  her  dressing-table  and 
talk  to  her  before  dinner,  her  thoughts  did  not 
wander  off  to  foolish  trifles  as  they  used  to,  and 
she  would  follow  him  as  closely  as  possible. 
They  started  the  most  interesting  discussions  to- 
gether, and  she  never  lost  an  opportunity  of 
trying  to  prove  to  him  that  her  higher  Catholi- 
cism, the  discovery  of  which  she  might  claim  as 
her  own,  was  in  accordance  with  science.  She 
argued  in  a  triumphant,  ingenious  way,  which 
amused  Mr.  Konald  infinitely.  She  was  con- 
stantly bringing  her  husband  back  to  the  subject 
of  love,  for  she  delighted  in  hearing  him  affirm 
that  it  is  one  of  the  forces  of  Nature,  and  that 
it  acts  on  human  beings  as  light  does.  She 
would  then  stop  in  the  midst  of  her  toilette,  with 
the  comb  or  the  powder-puff  in  her  hand,  her 
beautiful  brown  eyes  fixed  on  him  as  she  listened 
in  rapt  attention  while  he  developed  his  concep- 
tion of  life,  of  the  universe,  of  his  scientific 
philosophy,  the  only  one  which  can  ever  arrive 
at  the  truth  of  things;  and  as  she  listened,  the 
consciousness  that  she  was  nothing  but  a  living 
act  of  a  divine  will  came  to  her  more  clearly, 
and  this  consciousness  filled  her  with  a  sense  of 
peace  and  tranquillity  which  nothing  else  could 
have  given  her. 

As  for  Mr.  Ronald,  he  felt  for  his  wife  that 
intense  love  which  one  has  for  those  who  have 


354  EVC  Triumphant 

only  just  escaped  being  taken  away  for  ever. 
Without  understanding  it  himself,  by  a  sort  of 
retrospective  intuition,  probably,  he  often  felt 
surprised  to  see  her  there  at  his  side,  and  a 
shudder  would  pass  through  him  at  the  thought 
that  she  might  never  have  come  back  home. 

He  attributed  the  change  in  her — a  change 
which  delighted  him — to  her  new  religion,  and, 
out  of  gratitude,  he  would  accompany  her  occa- 
sionally to  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  or  to  St. 
Leo's  Church. 

Providence  sometimes  brings  about  certain  re- 
sults with  the  most  contrary  elements,  as 
though  it  took  an  artist's  pleasure  in  creating 
and  then  conquering  difficulties.  It  was  in  this 
way  that  everything  which  had  seemed  doomed 
to  separate  Helen  and  her  husband  served  to 
unite  them  more  closely  and  more  indissolubly. 

As  Dora  had  told  the  Marquis  Verga,  Mr. 
Konald  had  been  sent  to  Paris  to  represent  the 
United  States  at  the  International  Chemistry 
Congress.  His  wife  accompanied  him,  and  they 
found  themselves  once  more  installed  at  the 
H6tel  Castiglione. 

Climate  and  the  atmosphere  may  quicken  into 
being  the  latent  germ  of  some  fever,  and  in  the 
same  way  the  sight  of  places  associated  with 
love  or  sorrow  revives  either  in  the  most  cruel 
way. 

This  was  Mrs.  Ronald's  experience.  The  first 
time  she  found  herself  again  in  the  Rue  de 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals       355 

Rivoli,  at  the  spot  where  Count  Sant'  Anna 
had  first  crossed  her  path,  a  wave  of  sudden 
emotion  brought  the  blood  to  her  cheeks,  and 
caused  her  heart  to  beat  more  quickly.  By  a 
psychological  phenomenon,  which  was  entirely 
subjective,  she  suddenly  felt  the  presence  of 
Lelo,  and,  as  though  urged  on  by  an  irresistible 
force,  she  went  over  the  same  ground,  and  ven- 
tured as  far  as  the  Avenue  Gabriel  of  dangerous 
memory.  At  a  certain  place  she  had  the  illusion 
that  the  young  man  was  there  quite  near  her. 
She  drew  herself  up,  and  pressed  her  lips  to- 
gether with  an  instinctive  movement  of  dignity 
and  of  revolt  against  him.  As  she  walked  along 
in  the  strange  atmosphere  created  by  her  imag- 
ination, she  saw  herself  again  just  as  on  that 
fateful  day  which  was  to  stamp  her  existence  in 
an  indelible  manner.  She  remembered  the  hat 
trimmed  with  pale  pink  roses  which  she  was 
wearing,  and  the  light  beige  costume.  It  was 
lovely  weather,  and  there  had  been  a  delicious 
scent  of  flowers  and  trees  in  the  air.  She  was 
strolling  along  with  a  light  heart,  free  from  all 
care,  and  with  no  presentiment. 

"  No — not  any  more  than  that  poor  Mada- 
gascar spider,  whose  substance  and  liberty  man 
is  now  going  to  appropriate  to  himself,"  she 
said  bitterly,  drawing  her  comparison  from  an 
article  in  a  magazine  she  had  just  read. 

That  walk,  the  object  of  which  had  seemed  to 
be  just  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Kevins,  was  in  reality 


356  Eve  Triumphant 

destined  to  bring  about  Dora's  marriage,  Jack 
Ascott's  unhappiness,  her  terrible  trial,  and  her 
conversion  to  Catholicism.  Her  conversion — the 
thought  of  that  was  like  a  ray  of  light  in  her 
troubled  soul ;  her  face  brightened  suddenly,  and 
she  had  a  longing  to  see  the  Convent  of  the 
Assumption  again.  Hailing  a  cab  which  was 
passing  down  the  Champs  Elysees,  she  drove  to 
Lachaume's,  in  the  Rue  Roy  ale,  bought  some 
azaleas  and  an  enormous  armful  of  roses,  and 
an  hour  later  arrived  at  the  convent  with  her 
magnificent  offering  of  flowers. 

The  Mother  Superior,  pleasantly  surprised,  re- 
ceived her  with  heart  and  arms  as  open  as  her 
austerity  would  allow.  After  a  long  talk,  Mrs. 
Ronald  asked  to  be  permitted  to  decorate  the 
chapel  as  in  the  old  days.  Mere  Emilie  con- 
sented, and  sent  for  one  of  the  Sisters  to  help 
her. 

Helen  felt  deeply  moved  on  entering  this 
sanctuary  in  which  she  had  become  a  Roman 
Catholic.  How  changed  she  was !  As  she  moved 
silently  backwards  and  forwards  round  the  altar 
she  remembered  her  Protestant  irreverence.  That 
little  golden  door  of  the  Tabernacle,  which  she 
would  have  opened  so  boldly  then,  inspired  her 
with  awe,  and  she  would  not  have  dared  to  touch 
it  now  for  anything  in  the  world. 

As  she  handled  the  vases  and  candlesticks,  and 
touched  the  altar-cloth,  it  was  to  her  as  though 
there  were  a  sort  of  fluid  at  the  tips  of  her 


Old  Scenes  and  New  Ideals       357 

fingers  which  put  her  into  communication  with 
the  soul  of  these  consecrated  things,  making 
their  contact  seem  sacred  and  penetrating.  When 
her  work  was  finished  she  knelt  down  at  the 
foot  of  the  altar,  which  she  had  just  adorned  as 
though  for  a  festival  day. 

With  the  lucidity  of  her  keen  intellect,  she 
realised  the  transformation  which  had  taken 
place  in  her;  she  knew  that  her  inward 
vision  was  clearer,  that  she  had  more  spiritual- 
ity. She  congratulated  herself,  for,  like  the 
majority  of  her  compatriots,  it  seemed  to  her 
that  mental  progress  and  the  development  of 
one's  faculties  are  the  most  desirable  things  of 
all.  With  profound  conviction,  and  a  confidence 
that  was  most  touching,  she  murmured: 

"  It  will  all  come  right  in  the  end! " 

This  declaration  of  faith,  the  highest  of  which 
a  man's  mind  is  capable,  and  which  comes  in- 
stinctively to  the  lips  of  the  American,  form- 
ulated itself  anew  and  still  more  clearly  in 
Mrs.  Ronald's  mind. 

"  Yes,  it  will  all  come  right  in  the  end ! "  she 
repeated,  as  she  rose  from  her  knees. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  PATE  OF  A  PORTRAIT 

M.  DE  LIMERAY  was  delighted  at  Mrs. 
Ronald's  return  to  Paris.  During  hex- 
absence  they  had  corresponded  with  each  other 
regularly,  and  this  had  given  to  their  friendship 
a  charming  character  of  intimacy.  The  Count 
endeavoured  at  once  to  find  out  how  matters 
stood  with  regard  to  Helen's  affections.  He  had 
no  faith  in  the  duration  of  an  unhappy  love  with 
a  pretty  woman  any  more  than  in  the  duration 
of  sorrow  with  a  woman  who  is  very  fond  of 
dress.  His  theory  was  that  admiration  and 
finery  soon  get  the  better  of  grief  and  love 
troubles.  When,  however,  he  mentioned  the 
Count  and  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna  for  the  first 
time,  the  way  in  which  Helen  avoided  his  gaze, 
and  the  hard  tone  her  voice  took,  proved  to  him 
that  she  had  not  recovered  her  superb  indif- 
ference of  old.  Although  this  upset  his  own 
little  theories,  he  was  glad  to  see  that  she  was 
capable  of  deep  feeling.  He  had  a  hundred 
opportunities  of  convincing  himself  that  she  had 
not  yet  succeeded  in  forgetting.  It  really  seemed 

358 


The  Fate  of  a  Portrait  359 

as  though  living  in  Europe  were  baneful  to  Mrs. 
Ronald.  It  may  have  been  the  feeling  that  the 
distance  between  herself  and  Lelo  was  less,  or 
perhaps  it  was  the  effect  of  the  letters  with 
which  Dora  tormented  her;  but  whatever  she 
did  and  whatever  she  said,  her  thoughts  always 
reverted  instinctively  to  Rome. 

One  evening,  on  returning  from  the  theatre, 
she  found  a  large  yellow  envelope,  bearing  the 
Italian  postmark,  on  her  dressing-table.  She 
took  it  up,  felt  it,  and,  guessing  what  it  con- 
tained, tore  it  open  with  trembling  fingers. 
Yes,  it  was  just  what  she  thought — the  photo- 
graphs of  the  Count  and  of  the  Countess  Sant' 
Anna.  She  threw  them  down  again  quickly,  and 
they  fell  on  her  brushes.  The  harm  was  done, 
though,  for  she  had  seen  Lelo's  face,  and  it  had 
made  her  heart  stand  still,  and  sent  a  thrill 
through  her.  She  at  once  dismissed  her  maid, 
whose  presence  made  her  feel  ill  at  ease,  and 
no  sooner  was  she  alone  than  she  took  up  Dora's 
photograph  again  and  gazed  at  it  with  feverish 
curiosity.  The  young  wife,  in  her  white  even- 
ing dress,  looked  quite  pretty.  Her  features 
were  not  as  sharp  as  formerly,  and  her  expres- 
sion was  softer  and  more  gentle. 

"  She  is  quite  capable  of  having  grown  pretty," 
said  Mrs.  Ronald  aloud.  "  She  is  capable  of 
anything! "  she  added,  with  a  burst  of  anger  that 
was  almost  comical,  as  she  threw  the  photograph 
away  from  her. 


360  Eve  Triumphant 

Helen  paced  up  and  down  her  room  for  some 
time.  She  then  began  to  undress,  and  coming 
back  to  her  mirror,  sat  down  in  front  of  it,  and 
after  brushing  her  hair,  coiled  it  up  coquettishly 
on  the  top  of  her  head,  resisting  all  the  time 
her  longing  to  glance  again  at  the  other  photo- 
graph, which  was  there  before  her.  Finally,  not 
being  able  to  hold  out  any  longer,  she  seized  it 
brusquely,  and  with  her  lips  pressed  tightly  to- 
gether, and  a  hard  expression  in  her  eyes,  she 
gazed  at  it  for  an  instant. 

"  Flattered — touched  up ! "  she  said,  with  an 
inflection  of  disdain. 

•Photography  is  not  artistic,  but  it  is  scien- 
tifically brutal  and  true.  In  a  portrait  the  artist 
always  puts  something  of  himself,  and  his  vision 
is  not  absolutely  exact.  Light,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  implacable.  It  seizes  hold  of  the  fea- 
tures and  even  of  the  soul  of  the  individual.  It 
can  reveal  the  very  thoughts,  the  criminal  mind, 
the  secret  malady.  We  have  not  yet  learnt  to 
read  its  revelations.  On  this  piece  of  cardboard 
which  Helen  was  holding,  Sant'  Anna's  hand- 
some Italian  face  stood  out  boldly.  It  was  most 
lifelike.  He  was  looking  at  her  just  as  he  had 
often  looked  at  her  at  Lucerne  and  at  Ouchy, 
and  under  the  magnetism  of  his  fond  gaze  her 
face  softened,  and  without  being  aware  of  it 
herself,  a  tender  look  came  to  her  eyes  such  as 
had  never  been  there  before. 

By  one  of  those  ironies  of  fate,  which  seem  to 


The  Fate  of  a  Portrait  361 

be  ordained,  and  which  give  to  our  destinies  the 
character  of  a  comedy,  it  happened  that  that 
very  morning  Mr.  Ronald  had  bought  a  magnify- 
ing-glass,  declaring  that  there  were  better  ones 
to  be  had  in  Paris  than  anywhere  else.  He  had 
brought  it  in  to  show  his  wife,  and  had  left  it 
on  her  dressing-table.  It  was  still  there,  and 
Helen  was  inspired  with  the  strange  idea  of  hold- 
ing it  over  Lelo's  photograph.  Her  heart  im- 
mediately began  to  beat  violently.  She  could  see 
those  wonderfully  set  eyes  quite  near  to  her, 
and  then  the  clearly  cut  nose,  and  the  lips  of 
classic  beauty.  In  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  there 
was  that  warm  light  which  is  the  very  reflection 
of  the  Latin  soul,  while  on  the  sensual  mouth 
hovered  a  tender  smile.  The  whole  face  seemed 
so  alive  that  it  startled  her,  and  the  magnifying- 
glass  fell  from  her  hands.  She  rose  from  her 
seat,  pale  with  emotion,  trembling  from  head  to 
foot,  and,  acting  under  the  impulse  of  remorse 
and  intense  suffering,  she  flung  the  portrait  into 
the  grate,  where  a  wood  fire  was  crackling.  It 
fell  with  the  face  looking  towards  her,  and  the 
fire  caught  it  slowly,  as  though  regretfully. 
Under  the  combined  action  of  the  acids  and  the 
heat,  the  face  on  the  paper  seemed  to  become 
animated,  and  from  the  midst  of  the  bluish 
flames  which  surrounded  and  were  warping  it, 
its  eyes  gazed  at  her  and  its  mouth  smiled. 
Helen,  who  had  never  before  seen  this  effect, 
stood  still,  petrified  with  horror.  With  the 


362  Eve  Triumphant 

pupils  of  her  eyes  dilated  with  anguish,  she 
watched  the  progress  of  her  auto-da-fe.  When 
the  likeness  of  Sant'  Anna  was  nothing  but  a 
light-grey  cinder,  she  wiped  her  face,  which  was 
damp  with  perspiration,  as  though  she  had  just 
had  a  nightmare. 

"  It  is  awful — perfectly  awful ! "  she  said 
aloud ;  and  then  to  herself  she  added :  "  Per- 
haps there  are  some  particles  of  human  life  in 
a  photograph." 

This  little  incident  made  a  deeper  impression 
on  Helen  than  anything  had  done  for  the  last 
twenty  months. 

She  was  suddenly  seized  once  more  with  that 
longing  for  something  indefinable  which  makes 
all  pleasures,  affections,  and  life  itself  tasteless, 
and  which  is  harder  to  bear  than  a  definite  grief. 
Happiness  and  the  cure  for  our  ills  frequently 
come  to  us  in  just  as  unexpected  a  way  as  mis- 
fortune and  sickness.  One  morning,  while  read- 
ing her  New  York  Herald,  Helen  happened  to 
glance  at  the  announcement  of  a  lecture  to  be 
given  that  very  afternoon  at  the  Bodiniere  by 
the  Brahmin  Cetteradji,  on  the  influence  of 
the  Great  Teachers  who  have  passed  away.  The 
Hindoo  was  to  be  introduced  by  Jules  Bois,  the 
French  archpriest  of  occultism,  whose  name  is 
well  known  in  the  United  States.  The  curiosity 
of  the  American  woman  may  be  considered  a 
veritable  force;  her  mind,  eager  for  light  and 
knowledge,  is  ever  in  search  of  something  new. 


The  Fate  of  a  Portrait  363 

Nowhere  in  the  world,  perhaps,  is  so  much  at- 
tention given  to  psychical  science  as  in  America. 
Mrs.  Ronald  was  intensely  interested  in  all  con- 
nected with  it.  In  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Boston,  Buddhism  is  in  great  favour,  and  Cakya- 
Mouni  has  plenty  of  worshippers.  Buddha,  the 
symbol  of  peace  and  rest,  is  to  be  seen,  by  a 
strange  contrast,  in  the  houses  of  women  who 
are  the  most  active  and  the  most  restless  in 
the  universe.  The  announcement  of  a  lecture  by 
a  Brahmin  tempted  Helen.  She  immediately 
sent  a  note  inviting  one  of  her  friends  to  accom- 
pany her.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the 
two  American  ladies  started  for  the  Bodiniere, 
and  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  two  tickets 
which  had  just  been  returned  to  the  office.  The 
little  theatre  was  filled  with  a  public  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  ordinary  audience.  They  were 
not  brilliant-looking  people  who  were  assembled 
there,  nor  yet  particularly  elegant,  but  most  in- 
teresting. There  were  grave-looking  men  with 
long  pointed  heads,  priests,  Protestant  clergy- 
men, badly  dressed  women  of  over  thirty,  with 
hyper-sensitive  faces  and  eyes  restless  and  eager. 
In  the  midst  of  these  imaginative,  excitable  peo- 
ple stood  out,  as  in  relief,  the  cold,  serene-looking 
faces  of  some  half-dozen  pretty  and  well-dressed 
American  women. 

And  on  this  little  stage,  where  such  various 
spectacles  succeed  each  other,  appeared  the 
young  and  majestic-looking  Brahmin  priest,  ac- 


364  Eve  Triumphant 

companied  by  Jules  Bois  and  an  interpreter. 
Cetteradji  was  wearing  a  robe  of  soft  white  silk, 
with  a  stole  crossing  it,  and  tied  on  the  left  side, 
the  ends  of  which  he  was  holding  in  his  brown 
fingers.  The  graceful  Indian  turban  which  was 
twisted  round  his  head  was  placed  like  a  mitre 
on  his  rather  long  black  hair.  His  complexion 
had  the  warm  colouring  of  the  extreme  Orient. 
His  face,  with  its  big  cheek  bones  and  heavy  fea- 
tures, would  have  looked  common  had  it  not 
been  transfigured  by  eyes  full  of  mystic  fire  and 
of  the  inner  life.  His  whole  person  gave  an  im- 
pression of  force,  purity,  and  gentleness.  His 
luminous  eyes  wandered  for  a  moment  over  the 
audience,  as  though  he  wished  to  take  possession 
of  his  hearers.  The  spectators,  and  particularly 
the  feminine  element,  felt  a  sort  of  thrill  pass 
through  them  as  they  met  his  gaze.  The  psy- 
chical communication  thus  established,  Cette- 
radji, in  English  which  the  Hindoo  accent 
rendered  singularly  harmonious,  began  to  speak 
of  the  Teachers  of  old,  of  Plato,  Aristotle, 
Buddha,  and  of  Christ.  He  maintained  that 
they  had  not  left  our  planet,  that  they  were 
around  us  in  the  ether  in  which  spirits  live,  the 
great  invisible  ones,  and  that  they  exercised  a 
never-ceasing  influence  over  our  progress,  and 
even  over  our  civilisation.  He  went  on  to  say 
that  he  had  had  tangible  proofs  of  their  pre- 
sence, and  that  there  existed  between  them  and 
us  a  means  of  communication.  At  these  words 


The  Fate  of  a  Portrait  365 

there  was  an  eager  look  in  all  the  eyes  which 
were  fastened  on  him.  So  intense  was  the 
silence  that  it  could  be  felt.  Every  one  hoped 
to  hear  the  magic  words  which  would  open  the 
gates  of  the  Hereafter.  Alas,  the  Brahmin 
avoided  coming  to  the  point,  as  so  many  others 
had  done  before  him !  He  declared  that,  in 
order  to  enter  into  communication  with  the 
Great  Teachers,  it  was  necessary  to  have  at- 
tained, by  successive  incarnations,  a  high  degree 
of  spirituality.  At  this  that  pathetic  sigh  could 
be  heard  which  comes  from  the  heart  of  hu- 
manity after  each  of  its  vain  expectations.  In 
order  to  soften  down  the  disappointment  he  had 
just  caused,  Cetteradji  added  that  by  living  very 
pure  lives,  and  having  high  aspirations,  it  was 
possible  to  attract  the  great  spirits,  so  that  they 
would  draw  near  to  us. 

Although  the  translation  into  French  of  each 
of  the  English  phrases  had  rather  spoilt  the  lec- 
ture for  Mrs.  Ronald,  she  was  very  much  affected 
by  that  magnetism  of  the  true  apostle  which 
the  Brahmin  possessed.  He  had  not  told  her 
anything  new,  but,  either  by  means  of  her  own 
imagination  or  some  psychical  effect,  his  words 
had  done  her  good.  When  Cetteradji  had  fin- 
ished his  discourse,  he  announced  that  he  was 
prepared  to  receive  at  4  Rue  Boccador  any 
persons  who  wished  to  question  him. 

Jules  Bois  then  rose,  and  said  a  few  words  in 
that  unctuous  voice  which  he  has  adopted.  He 


366  Eve  Triumphant 

maintained  that  we  need  the  psychical  forces  in 
order  to  fight  against  the  evil  with  which  we 
are  beset,  and  against  the  darkness  of  material- 
ism. He  went  on  to  say  that  he  hoped  a  large 
number  of  the  persons  present  would  go  to  the 
Brahmin,  and  ask  him  to  help  them  with  his 
prayers  and  his  superior  will-power,  so  that  they 
might  receive  from  him  the  impetus  they  needed 
in  order  to  walk  without  faltering  towards  the 
light 

This  was  very  prettily  uttered  in  a  minor  key, 
and  in  a  fairly  mystic  way,  but  after  the  heart- 
felt words  of  the  Hindoo  priest,  the  speech  of 
Jules  Bois  fell  flat.  Added  to  this,  the  French 
apostle  of  occultism,  with  his  inartistic-looking 
European  clothes,  made  a  sorry  figure  by  the 
side  of  the  Brahmin,  in  his  flowing  white  silk 
robe. 

Mrs.  Ronald  at  once  realised  the  cause  of  this 
inferiority. 

"  Decidedly,"  she  said  to  her  friend,  "  these 
things  cannot  be  talked  about  by  men  with  fash- 
ionably cut  beards  and  frock  coats.  A  clean- 
shaven face  is  necessary  and  flowing  garments 
— or  wings  even !  " 

"  Yes,  as  I  always  maintain,"  observed  Mrs. 
Carrington,  who  worshipped  dress,  "  the  costume 
is  half  the  individual." 

"  The  whole  of  the  individual,  sometimes," 
declared  Helen,  in  her  pretty,  philosophical 
tone. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  BRAHMIN  OF  RUE  BOCCADOR 

RUE  BOCCADOR !  The  whole  of  that  even- 
ing the  address  which  the  Brahmin  had 
given  haunted  Helen's  brain,  until  at  last  a 
strange  idea  came  to  her. 

Cetteradji  had  undoubtedly  superior  psychical 
power.  She  had  felt  it,  for  while  listening  to 
him  she  had  experienced  something  like  that 
spiritual  fervour  which  the  words  of  Christ  had 
produced  in  the  hearts  of  His  disciples.  Why 
should  she  not  go  to  him  as  Jules  Bois  had 
suggested?  By  means  of  his  will-power  he 
would,  perhaps,  be  able  to  blot  out  from  her 
memory  Sant'  Anna's  face,  that  face  so  deeply 
graven  on  her  mind,  and  which,  in  spite  of 
all  she  could  do,  would  keep  reappearing 
triumphantly. 

An  American  woman  never  hesitates  long,  and 
Mrs.  Ronald  decided  to  try  this  experiment. 
The  following  day,  somewhat  feverish  with  the 
agitation  caused  by  her  strange  resolution,  she 
went  to  the  Rue  Boccador.  Wishing  to  be  the 
first  to  arrive,  she  had  gone  very  early,  but  two 

367 


368  Eve  Triumphant 

men  were  there  before  her.  One  was. a  clergy- 
man and  the  other  a  middle-aged  man  of  the 
world.  The  latter  looked  at  Helen  in  an  in- 
quisitive way  which  made  her  cheeks  flush.  In 
order  to  start  a  conversation,  he  asked  her  if 
she  would  prefer  taking  his  turn.  She  accepted, 
but  her  manner  was  so  distant  that  he  could  not 
get  any  further.  While  waiting,  she  tried  to 
think  how  she  was  going  to  broach  the  subject 
on  her  mind.  What  was  she  to  say?  She  had 
no  idea  at  all.  Good  heavens — it  would  be 
much  worse  than  the  confessional!  What  a 
silly,  ridiculous  idea  to  have  come!  She  was 
tempted  to  rush  away  again,  and  only  the  pre- 
sence of  the  two  men  kept  her  from  doing  so. 

Precisely  at  two  o'clock  the  door  to  the  right 
was  opened  by  a  Hindoo,  dressed  in  a  robe,  and 
with  a  dark-coloured  turban.  Helen  rose,  feeling 
more  dead  than  alive.  With  a  gesture,  the  ser- 
vant invited  her  to  follow  him.  He  took  her 
through  a  second  room,  and  showed  her  into 
a  large  salon  just  as  Cetteradji  entered  by  an- 
other door.  After  bowing  low  to  his  master, 
the  Hindoo  moved  away,  with  the  silent  tread 
peculiar  to  Orientals.  The  Brahmin  acknow- 
ledged his  visitor's  presence  by  a  stiff  inclina- 
tion of  the  head.  He  motioned  her  to  a  seat, 
then  took  his  place  in  a  high-backed  arm-chair 
by  a  table  covered  with  papers,  among  which 
could  be  seen  some  yellow  rolls  of  parchment. 

A  king  would  not  have  made  as  much  impres- 


The  Brahmin  of  Rue  Boccador     369 

sion  on  Helen  as  the  white  hieratic  figure  of 
the  Hindoo  priest.  He  seemed  to  her  more  im- 
posing even  than  he  had  done  on  the  Bodini^re 
stage,  and  so  much  above  other  men  and  above 
all  human  passions  that,  in  his  presence,  her 
unhappy  love  appeared  to  her  all  at  once  ridic- 
ulous and  puerile.  She  would  never  dare  to 
speak  to  him  about  it,  and  yet  she  must  say 
something.  Her  worldly  experience  came  to  her 
aid. 

"  I  was  at  your  lecture  yesterday,"  she  began, 
her  voice  faltering  from  the  beating  of  her  heart, 
"  and  it  interested  me  immensely.  I  am  Ameri- 
can, and  in  New  York  we  make  a  great  study 
of  psychical  phenomena.  Unfortunately,  they 
lend  themselves  to  fraud,  and  we  have  fre- 
quently been  deceived  by  clever  impostors.  I 
should  like  to  know  whether  magnetism,  sugges- 
tion, and  hypnotism  are  natural  or  supernatural 
forces?  " 

Helen  had,  after  the  manner  of  women,  gone 
a  long  way  round  to  come  to  the  point. 

"  They  are  natural  forces,"  answered  the  Brah- 
min, without  any  hesitation,  "  and  the  noblest 
with  which  man  is  endowed,  but  the  development 
of  them  is  not  easy.  In  order  to  become  a  true 
magnetiser,  it  is  necessary  to  live  a  very  pure 
life,  to  have  perfect  health,  and  to  keep  the  will 
in  constant  training.  All  priests,  without  know- 
ing it,  have  more  or  less  the  power  of  suggestion, 
and  this  is,  in  fact,  the  secret  of  their  influence. 
34 


37°  Eve  Triumphant 

The  saints  possessed  it  in  a  very  high  degree, 
and  it  was  by  means  of  this  force  that  they 
healed  the  sick  in  body  and  mind,  and  worked 
miracles." 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  must  be  as  you  say !  "  interrupted 
Mrs.  Ronald  eagerly.  "  Yesterday,  while  listen- 
ing to  you,  I  felt  as  though  I  were  being  lifted 
up  morally,  and  I  was  seized  with  a  desire  to 
do  some  good  in  the  world." 

The  priest's  eyes  beamed  with  delight. 

"  I  am  glad  that  my  words  should  have  had 
this  effect  on  you,"  he  said  simply. 

"  I  felt  that  you  had  a  higher  power,  and,  as 
Monsieur  Jules  Bois  advised,  I  came  to  ask  you 
to  help  me." 

"  In  what  way?  " 

Helen  blushed,  an  expression  of  anguish  and 
distress  came  into  her  eyes,  and  her  lips 
quivered.  Oh,  if  only  she  could  have  rushed 
away! 

"  Tell  me ! "  said  the  Brahmin,  in  a  gentle, 
but  at  the  same  time,  imperious  tone. 

"  Why — it  is  just  this — I  want  to  be  cured  of 
a  love  which  is  spoiling  my  life,  making  me 
wicked — and,  in  short,  which  is  causing  me 
great  sorrow,"  said  Mrs.  Ronald,  with  a  nervous 
brusqueness  which  betrayed  her  suffering.  "  I 
thought  you  might  be  able  to  help  me.  It  may 
seem  strange  to  you — ''  and  then,  looking  anx- 
iously at  the  priest,  she  added :  "  I  hope  you 
do  not  think  I  am  mad?" 


The  Brahmin  of  Rue  Boccador      371 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  think  you  are  very  wise," 
answered  Cetteradji  gravely. 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad!  "  said  Helen,  with  a  sigh  of 
relief.  "  You  see,  I  know  that  love  is  nothing 
but  a  fluid,  like  light — a  sort  of  ether." 

"  You  know  that,  do  you? "  exclaimed  the 
Brahmin,  with  an  expression  of  astonishment 
which  belied  the  impassibility  of  his  bronze  face. 

"  A  savant  told  me  so,  and  I  laughed  at  the 
idea.  I  am  convinced  though,  now,  that  it  is 
true." 

"  Yes,  it  is  true,"  affirmed  the  priest.  "  Men 
of  science  are  continually  being  inspired.  They 
are  the  veritable  mediums  of  God.  Great  dis- 
coveries are  made  at  their  appointed  time,  but 
they  foresee  them  often.  The  day  is  not  far  off 
when  love  will  be  scientifically  studied.  It  is 
one  of  Nature's  great  fluids,  the  one  which  is 
always  working  on  humanity,  bringing  life, 
death,  joy,  and  grief  in  its  train." 

"  Yes,  and  I  thought  that  psychical  force  must 
l>e  stronger  than  this  blind  agent." 

"  There  are  no  blind  forces,"  said  the  Brah- 
min ;  "  it  is  only  men  who  are  blind." 

"  Perhaps  so.  Anyhow,  yesterday,  after  hear- 
ing you,  it  occurred  to  me  that  you  might  be 
able  to  turn  my  thoughts  into  another  channel, 
to  efface  certain  souvenirs  from  my  memory,  to 
free  me  from  this  obsession  against  which  I  am 
struggling  in  vain — for  it  is  an  obsession,"  said 
Helen  angrily.  "  As  you  are  able  to  put  indi- 


372  Eve  Triumphant 

victuals  into  communication  with  each  other,  it 
must  be  easy  for  you  to  cut  off  the  communica- 
tion also,"  she  added,  just  as  though  she  were 
speaking  of  an  electrical  current. 

The  priest  did  not  smile. 

"  I  can  do  that,"  he  said  confidently. 

"  Then  do  set  me  free !  "  implored  Mrs.  Ronald 
in  a  broken  voice. 

"  To  what  religion  do  you  belong?  " 

"  I  am  a  Catholic.     I  was  converted " 

"  So  much  the  better.  You  have  made  a  great 
step  towards  spirituality.  Have  you  a  sincere 
wish  to  regain  your  peace  of  mind,  and  are  you 
determined  about  it?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed !  You  do  not  know,  you 
cannot  possibly  know,  what  suffering  a  hopeless 
love  causes!"  said  Helen  rashly.  "It  is  worse 
than  physical  pain." 

A  strange  expression,  a  sort  of  wave  of  emo- 
tion, passed  over  the  Brahmin's  face.  It  was 
like  a  beam  of  humanity,  and  then  the  impassible 
look  came  back  again  as  before.  He  gazed  at 
Helen  fixedly,  but  he  saw  neither  the  colour  of 
her  hair  nor  yet  her  beauty  and  elegance.  It 
seemed  as  though  that  gaze  would  penetrate 
through  her  forehead  and  read  her  very  soul. 

"  The  suffering  you  have  endured  has  been 
good  for  you,"  said  Cetteradji,  speaking  slowly ; 
"  it  has  developed  your  higher  faculties,  and 
made  you  less  vain  and  frivolous.  As  you  have 
come  to  me,  it  is  a  proof  that  the  trial  has  lasted 


The  Brahmin  of  Rue  Boccador     373 

long  enough.  I  can  put  an  end  to  it,  and  can 
turn  your  thoughts  definitely  in  the  right  direc- 
tion— towards  the  poor  and  unfortunate;  I  can 
give  you  the  sentiment  of  fraternity  which  makes 
charity  a  divine  joy.  Do  you  wish  me  to  do 
this?" 

"With  all  my  heart!" 

At  these  words  Cetteradji  rose,  and  laid  his 
two  first  fingers  on  Helen's  forehead.  He  seemed 
to  grow  taller,  an  extraordinary  expression  of 
energy  came  into  his  face,  his  eyes  were  full  of 
light  and  strength,  and  his  lips  moved  slightly. 
Under  the  pressure  of  his  fingers,  charged  with 
fluid,  Helen  felt  a  strange  palpitation,  a  violent 
emotion,  and  even  a  sort  of  resistance,  followed 
by  a  sudden  calm. 

"  Go  now  in  peace ! "  said  the  Brahmin,  let- 
ting his  arm  fall  helplessly  at  his  side,  as  though 
it  had  been  broken  by  some  superhuman  effort. 

Mrs.  Ronald  rose  from  her  seat.  The  mental 
shock  she  had  just  experienced  had  ended  in 
a  sort  of  giddiness  and  stupor.  She  drew  a  long 
breath,  as  one  does  after  some  mental  strain. 

"  Oh,  I  feel  so  relieved !  "  she  said. 

"  My  thoughts  and  my  will-power  shall  remain 
with  you  as  long  as  it  is  necessary,"  said 
Cetteradji. 

"  How  shall  you  know?  " 

"  I  shall  feel  it,"  answered  the  Hindoo  simply. 

Mrs.  Ronald  was  too  American  not  to  under- 
stand that  the  priest  has  to  live  by  his  science 


374  Eve  Triumphant 

and  his  capabilities,  just  as  a  doctor  does.  For 
the  first  time  in  her  life  she  felt  embarrassed 
about  giving  money.  She  fumbled  nervously 
with  her  card-case  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then, 
drawing  out  an  envelope  in  which  she  had  put 
a  banknote  of  the  value  of  twenty  pounds,  she 
laid  it  on  the  table. 

"  To  do  good  with,"  she  said  gently. 

"  It  shall  be  used  for  that,"  answered  the 
Brahmin,  bowing  slightly. 

He  then  rang  a  bell,  and  the  Hindoo  servant 
appeared  to  show  the  visitor  out.  Cetteradji 
lifted  his  two  fingers  again. 

"  Peace  be  with  you,  now  and  always ! "  he 
said,  as  a  farewell  salutation. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

"  TITANIA'S  FOLLY  " 

THE  Brahmin's  will  had  acted  on  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald's mind  with  a  mesmeric  influence  that 
was  quite  marvellous.  It  seemed  to  have  set 
her  free,  as  it  Avere,  and  made  the  memory  of 
Sant'  Anna  powerless  to  affect  her. 

Its  influence  was  not  merely  fleeting,  either, 
but  increased  in  the  most  mysterious  way  as 
time  went  on ;  and  Helen  was  not  even  surprised 
when  she  began  to  feel  once  more  the  joy  of 
living  and  of  being  beautiful.  Her  eyes  were 
limpid  again  as  of  old,  her  expression  serene, 
and  her  gaiety  quite  natural.  She  chose  lovely 
dresses  to  send  to  Dora,  and  asked  for  news  of 
the  child,  which  was  what  she  had  never  hitherto 
done.  And  all  this  was  without  any  effort  on 
her  part;  it  was  as  though  the  current  of  her 
thoughts  had  merely  been  turned  in  another 
direction. 

Curiously  enough,  though,  she  still  seemed  to 
feel  on  her  forehead  the  light  but  firm  touch  of 
the  Brahmin's  fingers,  just  as  when  she  had 
entered  into  communication  with  him.  She 
could  see  him  distinctly,  and  she  kept  feeling 

375 


376  Eve  Triumphant 

afresh  the  magnetism  of  his  gaze.  All  this 
caused  her,  over  and  over  again,  a  few  seconds  o'f 
agitation  followed  by  a  strange  sense  of  inward 
satisfaction. 

M.  de  Lirneray  was  not  long  in  discovering 
the  change  in  Mrs.  Konald.  It  was  evident  that 
she  had  recovered  her  equilibrium.  Her  face 
was  still  rather  serious,  but  it  had  lost  that 
pathetic  expression  which  so  many  times  had 
betrayed  her  trouble.  A  more  certain  sign  yet 
was  that  at  the  mention  of  Sant'  Anna's  name 
her  eyes  no  longer  drooped  and  her  lips  did  not 
quiver.  Helen  felt  a  convalescent's  joy  at  being 
thus  freed  from  her  love-sickness,  and  from  the 
haunting  thoughts  which  had  burdened  her  mind 
for  so  long,  and  this  caused  her  at  times  to  be 
in  such  exuberant  spirits  as  seemed  suspicious 
to  an  experienced  man  of  the  world  like  M.  de 
Limeray.  He  began  to  wonder  again,  and  to 
ask  himself,  "  Who  is  it?  "  His  first  idea  was 
that  it  might  be  Willie  Grey,  but  he  soon  saw 
that  he  was  mistaken.  What  could  have  hap- 
pened to  bring  about  this  change  in  her?  Had 
her  cure  been  wrought  by  a  skilful  confessor  or 
by  some  disillusion?  He  was  annoyed  at  not 
being  able  to  solve  the  mystery,  and  kept  hoping 
that  she  might  let  a  few  words  slip  which  would 
give  him  the  clue  to  it. 

The  week  before  the  Ronalds  were  to  return 
to  America,  M.  de  Limeray,  who  had  lunched 
with  them,  wanted  to  take  Helen  to  an  Inter- 


"Titania's  Folly"  377 

national  Exhibition  of  pictures  at  Georges 
Petit's.  He  was  particularly  fond  of  roaming 
about  in  the  museums  and  picture  galleries  with 
a  pretty  woman.  They  walked  there,  as  it  is 
not  far  from  the  Hdtel  Castiglione  to  the  Kue 
de  Seze.  On  the  way,  Mrs.  Konald  began  to 
talk  about  the  lecture  she  had  heard  a  month 
ago  at  the  Bodiniere.  Some  vague  instinct  had 
kept  her  from  mentioning  this  subject  to  him 
hitherto.  She  told  him  what  Cetteradji  had 
said  about  the  Great  Teachers  who  have  passed 
away.  She  described  the  Brahmin  and  his  cos- 
tume, and  her  enthusiastic  admiration  amused 
the  Count. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  suggestion?  "  she  suddenly 
asked,  leading  up  to  the  very  secret  that  she 
wanted  to  keep,  after  the  manner  of  women  and 
children. 

"  Certainly !  We  are  constantly  exercising  it, 
more  or  less,  on  each  other  and  on  ourselves 
even.  It  is  probably  this  power  which  is  the 
great  force  of  all  conquerors  and  leaders  of  men. 
People  say  that  it  is  a  means  of  cure  in  mental 
and  nervous  maladies;  but  the  healers  are  rare, 
I  should  fancy." 

"  Well,  Cetteradji  must  be  one.  He  has  the 
most  extraordinary  power  in  his  look  and  in 
his  words.  While  listening  to  him,  we  were  all 
hypnotised.  Our  hearts  burnt  within  us,  as  it 
says  in  the  Testament.  We  would  have  given  him 
anything  he  wanted — our  money,  our  help " 


378  Eve  Triumphant 

"  And  he  did  not  ask  you  for  anything?  " 

"  Nothing  at  all." 

"  Oh,  well,  so  much  the  better ! "  said  M.  de 
Limeray,  in  a  mocking  way.  "  Anyhow,  beware 
of  playing  with  magnetism,  hypnotism,  and  all 
those  dangerous  things.  If  there  are  good 
spirits,  there  are  also  evil  ones.  Remember  the 
lesson  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  O  Eve ! "  added 
the  Count,  with  his  shrewd  smile. 

The  Exhibition  of  the  Rue  de  Seze  could 
scarcely  interest  any  one  but  artists  or  real 
lovers  of  art.  There  were  sketches  and  rough 
outlines,  which  were  interesting  as  revealing  the 
conception  of  pictures  now  well  known  and 
admired. 

There  were  not  many  people  in  the  room  when 
Mrs.  Ronald  and  M.  de  Limeray  arrived.  After 
glancing  round  to  see  what  there  was,  they 
moved  towards  Willie  Grey's  pictures,  which 
they  recognised  at  some  distance  by  the  tone  of 
the  clever  young  artist's  work. 

"  Titania's  Folly! "  exclaimed  the  Count, 
with  an  expression  of  pleasure.  "  Oh,  the  sly 
fellow!  He  never  told  me  about  these 
studies.  He  might  have  let  me  have  them  by 
way  of  consolation  for  the  loss  of  the  picture 
that  I  wanted  so  much.  But  now  I  come  to 
think  of  it,  was  it  not  your  brother  who  bought 
it?" 

A  shade  of  annoyance  and  emotion  passed 
over  Helen's  face. 


"Titania's  Folly"  379 

"  Exactly,  and  for  a  present  to  me,"  she  an- 
swered, with  a  strange  little  laugh.  "  I  have 
Titania's  Folly!  it  is  in  my  dressing-room." 

"  In  your  dressing-room ! "  exclaimed  M.  de 
Limeray,  in  surprise. 

"  In  good  society,  I  assure  you.  It  has  some 
of  Leloir's  and  some  of  Corelli's  pictures  to  bear 
it  company." 

"  Upon  my  word !  You  arrange  your  dressing- 
room  in  fine  style." 

"  Yes.  As  I  pass  plenty  of  time  there,"  said 
Helen,  smiling,  "  I  like  to  have  good  pictures  to 
look  at.  They  rest  one's  eyes,  and  then,  too,  it 
is  always  so  much  beauty  to  absorb." 

M.  de  Limeray  returned  to  Willie  Grey's 
sketches.  He  examined  the  last  one,  in  which 
the  artist  had  finally  embodied  his  inspira- 
tion. 

"  A  masterpiece !  "  said  the  Count.  "  This  bit 
of  forest  gives  one  the  sensation  of  the  dawn 
of  day  and  of  spring.  Titania  is  adorable  on 
that  couch  of  moss  and  violets.  It  is  exactly 
the  couch  for  a  queen  or  for  a  fairy.  One  feels 
that  she  has  just  awakened.  In  her  eyes,  as 
they  are  raised  to  the  ass,  there  is  that  stupor 
caused  by  dreams  and  by  love,  which  creates  for 
itself  illusions.  Why,  this  is  an  example  of  hyp- 
notism ! "  added  the  Count,  his  face  lighting  up 
with  a  sudden  idea. 

"  An  example  of  hypnotism !  "  repeated  Mrs. 
Ronald,  bewildered. 


380  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Precisely — and  in  Shakespeare !  Ah,  now 
that  is  odd !  " 

As  he  spoke,  M.  de  Limeray  led  Helen  to  the 
chairs  placed  opposite  the  pictures,  and  they 
both  sat  down. 

"  Don't  you  remember?  Oberon  and  Titania, 
the  king  and  queen  of  the  fairies,  came  to  be 
present,  invisibly,  and  to  dance  at  the  marriage 
of  the  Duke  Theseus.  They  had  each  come 
separately,  with  their  escort  of  aerial  beings, 
genii  and  sylphs.  They  had  had  a  dispute,  be- 
cause Titania  had  refused  to  let  her  husband 
have  one  of  her  pages,  a  beautiful  boy  from 
India — the  son  of  a  friend  who  was  dead.  They 
meet  in  a  quiet  part  of  the  forest,  and  quarrel 
and  insult  each  other,  like  any  commonplace 
couple.  Titania  persists  in  her  refusal,  and 
Oberon,  perfectly  incensed,  imagines  the  idea  of 
making  her  fall  in  love  with  some  inferior  be- 
ing, an  animal  of  any  kind,  a  lion  or  a  monkey, 
he  does  not  mind  what — not  an  ordinary  ven- 
geance, either,  by  the  way." 

"  On  the  contrary,  a  very  ordinary  one,"  said 
Helen.  "  It  is  just  like  a  man  to  humiliate  the 
woman  who  resists  him." 

"  Come,  come,  we  are  not  so  bad  as  that !  "  pro- 
tested the  Count,  smiling.  "  However,  Oberon 
sends  his  messenger,  Puck,  to  gather  him  a  cer- 
tain flower,  the  little  love-flower  which  Cupid's 
dart  had  reddened.  He  presses  it  against 
Titania's  eyes,  saying: 


"Titania's  Folly"  381 

"  '  What  thou  seest  when  thou  dost  wake, 
Do  it  for  thy  true  love  take, 
Love  and  languish  for  his  sake: 
Be  it  ounce,  or  cat,  or  bear, 
Pard,  or  boar  with  bristled  hair. 
In  thy  eye  that  shall  appear 
When  thou  wak'st  it  is  thy  dear. 
Wake  when  some  vile  thing  is  near/ 

Is  that  not  hypnotism?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  of  course  it  is ! " 

"  It  is  a  clown  disguised  with  an  ass's  head 
that  Titania  sees  on  opening  her  eyes.  He  ap- 
pears to  her  divinely  handsome,  and  she  falls  in 
love  with  him.  She  covers  him  with  flowers,  and 
persists  in  providing  delicious  food  when  he  asks 
her  for  hay  and  barley.  In  order  to  have  her 
foolishness  forgiven,  she  agrees  to  let  her  hus- 
band have  the  page,  whom  she  would  not  give 
up  before  for  all  fairyland.  Oberon  is  satisfied, 
and  taking  pity  on  her,  decides  to  let  her  have 
back  her  reason.  For  this  purpose  he  squeezes 
another  flower  over  her  eyelids,  saying: 

"  *  Be  as  thou  wast  wont  to  be, 
See  as  thou  wast  wont  to  see/  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  proud  Queen  of  the  Fairies 
sees  that  she  has  been  in  love  with  a  creature 
unworthy  of  her.  Poor  Titania!" 

"  Who  has  not  had  a  disillusion  of  this  kind? 
It  is  painful  always,  but  not  humiliating,  for  we 


382  Eve  Triumphant 

generally  have  the  qualities  ourselves  which  we 
attribute  to  the  persons  we  love.  I  have  read 
at  least  twenty  times  this  episode  of  Titania's 
folly,  which  is  set  like  a  jewel  in  the  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream,  and  never  without  finding  some- 
thing fresh  in  it.  This  time  it  is  hypnotism." 

"  It  certainly  is  that,"  said  Mrs.  Konald.  "  It 
is  marvellous  in  its  modernism." 

"  I  verily  believe  that  those  whom  we  call  the 
Great  Teachers  have  written,  as  mere  mediums, 
by  some  higher  inspiration,  the  books  which 
humanity  was  to  spell  out.  It  will  take  cen- 
turies and  centuries  to  understand  them,  but 
these  books  will  take  humanity  on  to  the  end 
of  its  journey,  for  all  philosophy,  all  psychology, 
and  all  science  is  contained  in  them.  Man  is 
a  being  who  is  destined  to  continue  spelling  out 
words,  but  who  will  never  read  fluently.  We 
do  not  yet  understand  either  the  Bible,  the 
Testament,  Dante,  or  Shakespeare,  and  hence 
their  immortal  charm.  Then,  too,  the  book 
which  can  be  understood  the  first  time  it  is 
read  does  not  live.  Speaking  of  the  Bible,  just 
fancy, — an  English  friend  of  mine,  a  bishop, 
pointed  out  to  me  a  passage  in  Ezekiel's  vision 
which  makes  one  think  that  the  prophet  had 
seen  men  on  wheels!  He  uses  these  very 
words : 

" t  When  the  living  creatures  went  the  wheels 
went  by  them.  Whithersoever  the  spirit  was  to 
go  they  went,  and  the  wheels  were  lifted  up  over 


"Titania's  Folly  "  383 

against  them,  for  the  spirit  of  the  living  creature 
was  in  the  wheels.'  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  curious — very  curious  indeed !  " 

"  Do  you  remember  what  you  taught  me  about 
love?  " 

"  I  taught  you  something  about  love? "  ex- 
claimed Helen,  laughing  in  order  to  hide  her 
embarrassment.  "You  astonish  me!" 

"  Yes,  the  day  of  Miss  Carroll's  wedding  you 
told  me  that  love  was  nothing  but  a  fluid.  If 
that  be  so,  the  poets  who,  from  the  beginning 
of  things,  have  called  it  a  fiery  dart  must  have 
been  inspired." 

"  Certainly." 

"  This  idea,  which  you  delivered  over  to  my 
meditations,  startled  me  at  first.  It  seemed  to 
me  abominable — particularly  coming  from  a 
woman.  Gradually  it  forced  itself  on  my  mind, 
and  obliged  me  to  use  my  powers  of  observa- 
tion. You  see  that,  without  knowing  it,  your 
suggestion  has  acted  on  me.  The  result  was 
that  I  found  myself  wondering  whether  all  our 
sentiments,  love,  friendship,  hatred,  sympathy, 
antipathy,  are  not  perhaps  all  produced  by  mag- 
netic waves  over  which  we  have  no  control.  It 
is  a  fact  that  when  one  is  in  a  room  with  two 
lovers,  one  is  affected  as  though  by  an  electric 
current.  I  have  had  long  conversations  with 
your  husband  on  this  subject.  He  maintains 
that  if  we  were  not  put  into  communication 
with  each  other  by  means  of  fluids,  we  should 


384  Eve  Triumphant 

neither  be  able  to  see  nor  to  hear  each  other. 
According  to  him,  Nature  alone  knows  where  to 
go  in  search  of  the  elements  which  are  neces- 
sary for  the  creation  of  her  instruments — for  a 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  for  instance,  a  Napoleon,  or 
an  idiot.  He  declares  that  all  the  discoveries 
of  science  tend  to  prove  that  man  is  governed 
just  like  the  atoms,  the  stars,  and  the  worlds.  I 
believe  that  he  is  right.  Humanity  first  believed 
in  fatalism,  then  in  free  will,  and  later  on  it 
will  believe  in  Providence.  Do  you  know,  Mrs. 
Ronald,  that  I  am  very  grateful  to  you?  " 

"  To  me?  " 

"  Yes ;  you  turned  my  thoughts  into  a  fresh 
channel.  You  have  taught  me  to  feel  that  I 
am  entirely  in  God's  hands.  This  conviction 
will  help  me  to  bear  with  more  courage  and 
resignation  the  trying  days  of  old  age  which 
are  in  store  for  me.  And  it  was  an  American 
who  was  to  bring  me  this  spiritual  viaticum !  Is 
it  not  strange?  " 

"  I  wish  I  could  believe  that  I  had  had  such 
beneficial  influence  over  you." 

"  Believe  it,  for  it  is  quite  true." 

"  I  am  surprised  that  the  poets  and  novelists 
do  not  make  use  of  the  discoveries  of  science. 
They  might  inspire  them  with  new  variations  of 
immutable  themes." 

"  Quite  so !  Love  cured  by  hypnotism,  for 
instance.  That  would  be  superb !  " 

At  these  words,  uttered  without  any  premed- 


"Titania's  Folly'*  385 

itation,  such  a  vivid  blush  covered  Mrs.  Ronald's 
face  that  the  Count  was  quite  taken  aback.  It- 
was  a  sudden  revelation  to  him,  and  he  was  con- 
vinced that  he  now  had  the  key  to  the  enigma. 

"  For  instance,"  he  continued  mercilessly,  "  a 
handsome  Brahmin,  robed  in  white  like  your 
Cetteradji,  laying  his  hands  on  a  pretty  woman 
—a  modern  Eve — in  order  to  drive  away  the 
thought  of  the  tempter.  Titania's  cure!  What 
a  charming  picture!  I  shall  talk  to  Willie 
Grey  about  it.  I  can  see  it,  just  as  though  it 
were  already  painted." 

"  And  I  can  see  that  we  are  not  looking  at 
anything,"  said  Helen  in  rather  a  dry  tone,  rising 
abruptly.  "  Ah,  here  is  something  by  Carrier- 
Belleuse ! " 

M.  de  Limeray  did  not  persist,  but  followed 
Mrs.  Ronald.  He  went  all  round  the  room  with 
her  most  conscientiously,  but  it  was  evident  that 
he  was  thinking  of  something  else.  He  kept 
looking  at  her  stealthily.  It  was  Cetteradji, 
then,  who  had  worked  the  miracle.  She  must 
have  confessed  to  him,  and  asked  him  to  heal 
her  mind.  The  lucky  Brahmin !  The  little  pic- 
ture he  had  just  been  describing  came  back  to 
his  mind. 

"  I  will  have  my  Titania,"  he  said  to  himself ; 
and  then,  looking  at  Helen  admiringly,  he  re- 
peated to  himself  the  words  he  had  used  once 
before :  "  These  American  women  are  astonish- 
ing— perfectly  astonishing!" 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

AN  ANONYMOUS  LETTER 

DURING  the  whole  week  the  Sant*  Annas' 
white  dinner  was  the  one  topic  of  con- 
versation among  both  the  Whites  and  the  Blacks. 
In  Rome  these  little  political  manifestations 
generally  produce  in  the  two  camps  an  increase 
of  antagonism  and  animosity.  On  the  surface 
everything  may  appear  smooth,  but  a  little  more 
hatred  and  rancour  are  left  in  the  heart. 

As  Lelo  had  foreseen,  this  dinner  had  brought 
him  all  kinds  of  annoyance  and  worry.  He  had 
to  endure  the  criticisms  of  the  journalists,  the 
congratulations  or  blame  of  his  friends;  and  then, 
into  the  bargain,  the  reproaches  of  his  mother 
and  of  his  uncle,  the  Cardinal.  It  does  not  re- 
quire very  much  to  exasperate  that  most  suscep- 
tible of  individuals,  the  Italian.  Like  a  true 
husband,  Lelo  did  not  fail  to  visit  on  his  wife 
the  bad  temper  which  all  this  caused  him.  He 
often  came  home,  his  eyes  black  with  anger,  his 
nerves  highly  strung,  and  more  than  once  he 
had  "  curled  up."  Dora,  knowing  that  she  had 
been  to  blame,  was  most  jpatient,  and,  thanks 

386 


An  Anonymous  Letter  387 

to  her  famous  oil  of  wisdom,  she  managed  to 
keep  back  the  sharp  words  which  came  so  read- 
ily to  her  tongue.  One  evening  she  went  to  the 
Count  in  his  dressing-room  to  consult  him  about 
some  arrangement.  As  he  did  not  answer  her 
question,  she  reproached  him  with  not  being 
amiable. 

"Amiable,  indeed!  Ask  that  pin-cushion  to 
be  amiable ! "  he  exclaimed,  poking  his  cravat- 
pin  furiously  into  the  little  satin  cushion  by  his 
glass.  "  For  the  last  week — thanks  to  you — I 
am  just  like  that  thing,  and  am  being  pricked 
on  every  side." 

The  droll  comparison  made  his  wife  laugh. 

"  Oh,  well,"  she  said  gaily,  "  it  is  not  very 
generous  of  you  to  pass  the  pin-pricks  you  get 
on  to  me.  I  acted  thoughtlessly,  and  did  not 
realise  what  the  consequences  of  my  initiative 
would  be.  I  have  told  you  that  I  am  sorry. 
What  else  can  I  do?  " 

"  Leave  me  in  peace,"  answered  Sant'  Anna 
brutally. 

"  Very  well ! "  and  with  this  word,  uttered 
angrily,  the  Countess  left  the  room,  slamming 
the  door  after  her. 

This  burst  of  temper  was  the  storm  which 
cleared  the  sky.  Lelo  felt  that  he  was  now  to 
blame  in  his  turn,  and,  as  though  by  magic,  he 
suddenly  became  amiable  again,  and  managed 
to  win  forgiveness  without  great  difficulty.  The 
Italian  is  specially  clever  and  irresistible  when 


388  Eve  Triumphant 

he  is  repentant.  He  has  a  way  of  accusing  him- 
self, and  taking  all  the  blame,  which  completely 
disarms  one,  and  makes  reproaches  appear  use- 
less, so  that  he  gets  out  of  all  scrapes  very 
easily.  Dora  congratulated  herself  that  the  con- 
sequences of  her  coup  d'etat  had  not  been  worse. 
She  was  reckoning,  though,  without  having 
taken  into  account  the  Roman  character,  which 
has  been  formed  by  centuries  of  ecclesiastical 
tyranny,  and  which,  among  the  Blacks,  has  re- 
mained strangely  vindictive  and  implacable. 

One  morning,  as  she  was  finishing  breakfast, 
a  letter  was  brought  to  her.  It  was  a  dainty- 
looking  missive,  on  thin,  bluish  paper,  and  bear- 
ing the  postmark  of  the  city.  The  address  was 
in  a  handwriting  quite  unknown  to  her,  and 
had  a  strange  appearance.  She  opened  it,  feel- 
ing some  curiosity,  and  glanced  rapidly  through 
the  lines  it  contained.  The  blood  rushed  to  her 
face,  and  then  to  her  heart,  leaving  her  lips 
colourless  and  dry.  She  read  it  through  again : 

"  If  you  care  to  know  where  your  husband  goes 
every  day  before  dinner,  pay  a  little  visit  yourself 
between  6.30  and  7.30  to  a  certain  villa  on  the  Piazza 
del  Independenza,  and  you  will  be  edified.  One 
'always  returns  to  one's  first  love.  A  word  to  the 
wise  is  sufficient." 

There  was  no  signature.  The  handwriting 
was  cleverly  disguised,  with  letters  half  an  inch 
large,  very  much  cramped,  and  looking  as  though 


An  Anonymous  Letter  389 

they  had  been  formed  by  the  crawling  up  and 
down  of  some  insect.  The  anonymous  missive 
was  in  Italian,  and  Dora,  who  had  taken  lessons 
in  that  language  since  her  marriage,  understood 
it  perfectly  well.  Each  one  of  the  cruel  words 
penetrated  to  her  heart,  causing  her  the  most 
intolerable  suffering  she  had  ever  yet  experi- 
enced. The  Princess  Marina!  There  was  no 
need  to  look  further,  for  this  name  came  to  her 
mind  at  once.  She  lived  in  a  villa  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Macao,  which  is  peopled 
by  a  number  of  great  ladies  whose  marriages 
are  unsatisfactory,  and  who  have  taken  refuge 
there  while  waiting  for  the  divorce  law. 

Lelo  had  formerly  been  one  of  the  Princess's 
admirers.  Madame  Verga  and  Helen  had  told 
her  so.  The  word  "  admirer  "  is  taken  in  a  very 
elastic  sense,  as  a  rule,  by  the  American  woman. 
It  does  not  state  anything  precisely,  and  Dora 
had  never  imagined,  not  even  since  her  marriage, 
that  Donna  Vittoria  might  at  some  far-distant 
time  have  been  her  husband's  mistress.  Very 
naively  she  had  thought  her  too  much  of  a  lady. 
If  she  had  had  a  suspicion  of  the  truth,  she 
would  never  have  allowed  the  Princess  to  cross 
the  threshold  of  her  house.  The  two  women 
met  daily,  for  they  were  both  in  the  same  set. 
They  visited  and  invited  each  other  to  grand 
dinners  and  parties,  but  they  had  always  been 
somewhat  ceremonious  and  cool,  and  were  ever 
ready  to  criticise  each  other  unsparingly. 


39°  Eve  Triumphant 

"  One  always  returns  to  one's  first  love." 

These  words  implied  clearly  that  Lelo  had 
loved  Donna  Vittoria,  and  that  he  still  loved 
her.  At  this  thought  a  whirlwind  of  violent 
thoughts  rushed  into  the  young  wife's  mind,  and, 
as  a  result  of  her  vivid  imagination,  her  eyes 
flashed,  and  her  face  took  an  incredibly  hard 
look.  She  had  been  deceived !  Lelo  had  played 
her  false!  Ah,  if  she  had  a  proof  of  this,  how 
quickly  she  would  be  divorced!  She  remem- 
bered that  in  Italy  the  divorce  law  did  not  exist. 
Oh,  well,  she  would  demand  a  separation,  and 
she  would  take  her  boy  and  go  to  live  in  India, 
China,  or  no  matter  where,  and  she  would  never 
see  Lelo  again.  She  gave  a  little  nervous,  forced 
laugh.  Ah,  she  was  not  one  of  those  women 
who  forgive — thank  God,  no! 

The  less  complicated  a  woman's  nature  is,  the 
more  she  resents  a  man's  infidelity.  This  is 
what  makes  the  American  woman  so  relentless 
and  implacable  in  such  matters.  The  European 
woman  can  forgive,  because  she  knows  more  of 
life  and  of  human  nature,  and  because  in  her 
complex  soul  there  are  treasures  of  generosity 
and  goodness  which  love  has  called  into  being. 
She  forgives,  but  she  does  not  forget.  Infidelity 
and  betrayal  are  for  women  what  hoar-frost  is 
for  the  plant — their  effects  are  the  same  and 
just  as  irreparable. 

If  Dora  was  not  one  of  the  women  who  can 
forgive,  she  was  one  of  those  who  can  reason 


An  Anonymous  Letter  391 

with  some  lucidity.  When  she  was  moderately 
calm  again,  she  began  to  consider  whether  there 
was  anything  in  her  husband's  manner  to  be- 
tray him.  At  first  she  saw  nothing  to  alarm 
her, — quite  the  contrary,  in  fact.  He  was  cer- 
tainly very  attentive  to  the  Princess  Marina, 
but  not  more  so  than  the  Marquis  Verga  and 
all  the  other  men.  It  was  surely  the  influential 
great  lady  whom  they  courted,  and  not  the 
woman.  Why,  she  was  at  least  forty-five,  per- 
haps fifty,  even,  and  she  dyed  her  hair,  and 
touched  up  her  eyebrows  and  lips!  How  could 
Lelo  be  in  love  with  that  old  thing?  It  was 
all  nonsense,  and  quite  impossible.  That  old 
thing! — and  hereupon  the  clearly  cut  profile  of 
Donna  Vittoria,  her  willowy  figure  and  graceful 
carriage,  together  with  the  inimitable  way  in 
which  she  used  her  light  tortoise-shell  lorg- 
nette, came  instantaneously  to  Dora's  mind,  and 
the  corners  of  her  mouth  twitched.  Strangely 
enough,  an  impression  she  had  had  a  few  days 
before  came  back  to  her,  too.  Donna  Vittoria 
had  arrived  very  late  at  a  grand  dinner  to  which 
she  had  been  invited.  Any  other  woman  would 
have  been  embarrassed,  and  would  have  stam- 
mered out  some  stupid  or  awkward  excuse.  She 
had  simply  said:  " Scusate  mi  tanto,  tanto!" 
("I  am  very,  very  sorry! "),  but  with  such  per- 
fect ease  and  grace  that  Dora  had  envied  her. 
Yes,  it  was  impossible  to  deny  it,  this  woman 
possessed  the  most  extraordinary  fascination. 


392  Eve  Triumphant 

And  then,  too,  she  had  that  Latin  soul  which 
Lelo  thought  so  superior!  For  marriage,  the 
Saxon  soul  sufficed;  but  for  love,  perhaps  the 
Latin  soul  was  necessary !  This  thought  crushed 
her.  Could  it  be  on  account  of  the  Princess 
that  her  husband  turned  a  deaf  ear  when  she 
spoke  to  him  of  accompanying  Mrs.  Carroll  to 
America?  He  had  not  positively  refused,  but  it 
was  evident  he  did  not  care  for  the  idea,  and 
he  had  several  times  expressed  a  desire  to  go 
to  Ceresole,  in  Piedmont,  where  Donna  Vittoria 
spent  the  summer. 

Dora  took  up  the  anonymous  letter  again  and 
began  to  examine  it.  In  the  disguised  writing, 
the  shape  and  quality  of  the  paper,  there 
was  the  unmistakable  stamp  of  a  man  or  woman 
of  the  world.  Who  could  have  any  interest  in 
destroying  her  happiness?  It  was  a  case  of  re- 
venge, certainly,  but  whoever  was  capable  of  so 
vile  an  action  would  also  be  capable  of  slander. 
Her  sister-in-law's  name  came  to  her  mind,  but 
she  said  to  herself  that  Donna  Pia  would  never 
betray  her  brother.  She  knew  that  her  husband 
called  on  the  Princess  Marina,  but  she  was  not 
aware  that  he  went  to  see  her  every  day.  She 
had  believed  that  he  went  to  his  club  after  his 
drive.  He  had  always  given  her  to  understand 
this,  but  lying  is  very  easy  to  the  Latin  race. 
Lelo  unfaithful!  And  he  was  there,  not  far 
away  from  her,  and  sleeping  peacefully.  She 
had  a  wild  desire  to  go  and  wake  him  up,  and 


An  Anonymous  Letter  393 

to  shake  him,  and  show  him  this  letter.  He 
would  prove  to  her,  conclusively,  that  he  was 
innocent,  but  she  would  not  believe  him.  No, 
she  must  be  convinced  by  her  own  senses.  She 
would  call  on  the  Princess  between  half-past  six 
and  half-past  seven,  as  she  had  been  advised. 
She  had  an  excellent  pretext,  as  the  day  before 
a  servant  had  come  to  her  with  a  reference  writ- 
ten by  Donna  Vittoria.  She  would  go  and  ask 
for  further  details,  and  she  should  see  what 
effect  her  appearance  on  the  scene  would  have. 
The  Princess  would  not  be  at  home  to  her,  per- 
haps, but  she  would  wait  in  her  carriage  some 
little  distance  away,  and  if  she  saw  her  husband 
leave  the  house  she  would  know — well,  she  would 
know,  at  any  rate,  that  this  infamous  letter  had 
not  lied!  She  got  up  brusquely  and  rang  for 
her  maid.  All  the  time  she  wTas  dressing  and 
adorning  herself  she  was  suffering  tortures.  It 
seemed  as  though  a  nest  of  vipers  had  opened 
in  her  brain.  She  suddenly  thought  of  Jack 
Ascott.  Was  there  such  a  thing  as  retribution 
in  this  world,  and  was  she  going  to  be  punished 
for  her  fickleness  to  him?  She  felt  remorseful 
at  the  thought  that  she  had  caused  him  such 
pain  as  she  was  now  experiencing. 

"  I  did  not  know  it  was  so  cruel,"  she  said, 
to  herself;  then  shrugging  her  shoulders  she 
added,  with  that  childlike  ignorance  which  most 
women  have  of  the  masculine  heart,  "  Men  do 
not  feel  as  deeply  as  we  do,  though."  At  heart, 


394  Eve  Triumphant 

Dora  nevertheless  had  the  conviction  that  her 
husband  loved  her,  and  this  conviction  did  not 
fail  to  reassure  her.  In  similar  circumstances 
we  all  of  us  have,  more  or  less,  the  infallible 
instinct  of  what  is  or  is  not,  and  it  is  to  this 
alone  that  we  should  listen. 

The  Countess  dressed  in  feverish  haste.  She 
wanted  to  go  out,  to  get  outside  the  house.  She 
must  regain  her  composure  before  seeing  Lelo 
again,  otherwise  she  would  be  incapable  of  con- 
taining herself.  She  went  first  to  the  Quirinal 
Hotel,  stayed  some  time  with  her  mother,  and 
then  went  to  the  Corso. 

At  that  early  hour  it  is  frequented  by  very 
young  men  on  the  look-out  for  adventures,  and 
by  a  few  old  beaux — always  the  same  ones.  So- 
ciety women,  among  them  plenty  of  Americans, 
in  tailor  costumes,  take  their  constitutional 
there;  they  meet  their  friends  and  admirers, 
shake  hands  or  exchange  bows,  start  the  gossip 
of  the  day,  accept  the  escort  of  one  or  other  of 
their  various  acquaintances,  and  return  home 
with  their  appetite  sharpened  as  well  as  their 
coquetry. 

The  Marquis  Peretti,  one  of  society's  enter- 
tainers, came  up  to  the  Countess.  He  walked 
along  with  her,  as  he  often  did. 

She  was  generally  most  brilliant  in  her  re- 
partee, but  this  morning  Roman  wit  was  lost 
upon  her,  and  she  was  teased  mercilessly  about 
her  absent-minded,  preoccupied  air. 


An  Anonymous  Letter  395 

The  walk  did  Dora  good.  She  went  back 
home  feeling  calmer,  her  lips  pressed  tightly 
together  with  the  tension  of  her  strong  will,  for 
she  was  determined  not  to  betray  her  secret, 
and  not  to  suffer  even,  before  she  really  knew. 
She  went  straight  to  her  boudoir  to  write  a 
letter,  and  a  few  minutes  later  Lelo  joined  her 
there.  She  looked  at  him  with  a  quick  glance, 
and  he  appeared  to  her  almost  insolent — so 
handsome,  free  from  care,  and  good-tempered 
was  he. 

He  came  up  to  her  and  patted  her  shoulder 
affectionately. 

"  Come  va,  mia  cara?  "  ("  How  are  you,  my 
darling?")  he  asked,  with  a  tender  inflexion  in 
his  voice. 

"  All  right,  thanks ! "  answered  the  young  wife, 
quite  taken  up,  apparently,  in  sealing  her  letters. 

Just  at  this  moment  luncheon  was  announced, 
and  they  both  moved  towards  the  dining-room. 

"Per  Bacco!"  exclaimed  the  Count,  sitting 
down  to  table,  "  I  quite  forgot  to  invite  any 
one  last  night." 

"  For  once,  you  might  manage  to  put  up  with 
a  meal  by  ourselves.  It  won't  kill  you,"  said 
Dora,  in  a  tone  which  grated  on  Sant'  Anna's 
ears. 

"  I  don't  regret  being  by  ourselves,"  he  an- 
swered, smiling,  "  but  I  don't  like  seeing  so  many 
empty  places  at  table." 

"  If   I    had   known,    I    would    have    brought 


396  Eve  Triumphant 

Peretti  back  with  me.  I  met  him  this  morn- 
ing." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  anything  interesting?  " 

"  Nothing  whatever." 

"  He  would  be  finely  surprised  if  he  heard  you 
say  that.  Were  there  many  people  at  the 
Corso?  " 

"  Half  a  dozen  young  idiots." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  are  very  kind  to-day,  certainly ! 
Does  the  barometer  indicate  storm?  " 

"  For  me,  perhaps  so,"  answered  the  Countess, 
with  a  disagreeable  little  laugh. 

Sant'  Anna  glanced  at  his  wife  in  surprise. 
It  was  the  first  time  she  had  shown  such  signs 
of  bad  temper  and  nerves.  It  was  almost  im- 
possible for  Dora  to  dissimulate,  and  she  had 
given  way  to  her  anger. 

On  seeing  that  she  had  roused  her  husband's 
curiosity,  and  fearing  that  he  might  question 
her,  she  made  a  great  effort  to  control  herself. 

"  Have  you  seen  the  horses?  "  she  asked,  in 
a  most  natural  way. 

"  Yes,  they  are  in  splendid  condition.  Caselli, 
it  appears,  has  discovered  a  pair  of  wonderful 
bays.  I  am  to  see  them  to-morrow." 

When  once  he  was  started  on  this  subject, 
Lelo  soon  forgot  his  wife's  bad  temper  and 
talked  gaily. 

She  contented  herself  with  putting  in  a  mono- 
syllable here  and  there,  and  not  always  even  in 
the  right  place.  That  anguish  peculiar  to  jeal- 


An  Anonymous  Letter  397 

ousy  seemed  to  be  choking  her,  and  she  could  not 
eat.  All  the  time  she  kept  half  closing  her  eyes, 
so  that  her  long  lashes  nearly  met,  in  order  to 
gaze  more  intently  at  her  husband.  Seeing  him 
so  young  and  so  handsome,  she  said  to  herself 
that  he  could  not  be  in  love  with  a  woman  of 
forty-five.  She  suddenly  remembered,  with  in- 
finite delight,  that  Roman  proverb  which  had 
formerly  roused  her  indignation :  "  At  forty  a 
woman  should  be  thrown  in  the  river  with  her 
clothes  on." 

"  Ah,  they  are  quite  right,"  she  thought ;  "  let 
them  throw  her  in !  Oh,  yes,  let  them  throw  her 
in,  by  all  means !  " 

After  luncheon  the  husband  and  wife  went  to 
the  smaller  salon,  and  their  coffee  was  brought 
to  them  there. 

"  Lelo,  mamma  would  like  to  know  whether  or 
not  we  are  deciding  to  go  with  her  to  America," 
said  Dora,  watching  her  husband's  face.  "  If 
you  think  it  too  great  a  nuisance,  I  might  go 
with  her,  anyhow,"  she  added,  in  the  most 
natural  way. 

Sant'  Anna,  who  was  just  lifting  his  cup  of 
coffee  to  his  lips,  was  so  amazed  at  this  sugges- 
tion that  he  put  it  down  again  on  the  saucer. 

"  What !  what ! "  he  said,  "  you  could  leave  me 
as  gaily  as  all  that?  A  fine  sort  of  love,  yours! 
— it 's  American,  is  n't  it?  " 

Oh,  the  balm  and  joy  these  words  were  for 
Dora's  heart! 


398  Eve  Triumphant 

"  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  your  coming 
with  me." 

"  No,  but  it  might  not  suit  me  this  year.  We 
Italians  could  never  resign  ourselves  to  living 
away  from  our  wives  as  your  compatriots  do. 
Whatever  you  may  say  about  it,  we  love  our 
wives  more  than  they  do." 

"  And  when  you  are  tired  of  them,  you  de- 
ceive them  more,  too." 

The  sarcastic  tone  in  which  these  words  were 
uttered  made  Lelo  prick  up  his  ears. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  he  answered  good-tem- 
peredly.  They  changing  his  tone,  he  asked: 
"  Have  you  really  such  a  great  wish  to  go  to 
America?  " 

"  Yes,  I  really  think  I  am  a  bit  homesick. 
There  are  lots  of  people  and  things  I  want  to 
see  again." 

"  Not  Mr.  Ascott,  I  hope,"  said  Sant'  Anna, 
his  eyes  flashing  with  jealousy. 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  played  too  wretched  a  part  in  his 
life  to  wish  ever  to  meet  him  again." 

"  Oh,  who  knows !  Women  are  so  perverse, 
so  infernally  cruel." 

"  Thanks — but  let  us  come  back  to  America. 
It  seems  to  me  that  we  can  scarcely  let  mamma 
go  alone.  Besides,  she  wants  you  to  see  her 
famous  estate,  Orienta,  so  that  she  can  decide 
whether  to  sell  or  let  it." 

"  Then  we  should  leave  Guido  with  my 
mother?  " 


An  Anonymous  Letter  399 

"  Oh,  no,  certainly  not !  Baby  does  not  leave 
me." 

"  You  are  not  afraid  of  such  a  long  voyage 
for  him?" 

"  With  his  nurse,  he  could  go  round  the  world." 

"  Peppa  will  never  go  to  America." 

"  Peppa !  why,  she  was  just  going  to  emigrate 
with  all  her  tribe  when  we  engaged  her.  I  will 
undertake  to  persuade  her." 

"  Well,  we  '11  see  about  it,  then.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  do  not  know  of  any  serious  hindrance," 
said  Sant'  Anna,  as  though  he  were  trying  to 
discover  one. 

"  Sea-sickness,  perhaps?  " 

This  was  said  in  a  mocking  tone  which  was 
singularly  disagreeable.  Such  a  haughty  ex- 
pression came  into  the  Count's  eyes  that  Dora 
was  taken  aback. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  have  been  doing  this 
morning,"  he  said  coldly,  "  but  you  are  evidently 
in  a  very  bad  temper,  and  as  I  don't  want  to 
annoy  you  I  '11  go.  Au  revoir! " 

"Lelo!" 

Sant'  Anna,  who  was  just  at  the  door,  turned 
round. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  asked. 

Longing  as  she  was  to  be  freed  from  her  an- 
guish, Dora  was  just  about  to  tell  her  husband 
all,  but  with  her  strong  will  she  managed  to 
control  herself. 

"  Nothing — nothing !  "  she  answered  hastily. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

SEEKING  PROOF 

DOEA  never  remembered  what  she  did  or  said 
during  the  rest  of  the  afternoon.  A  little 
after  half-past  six  her  brougham  drew  up  in 
front  of  the  villa  in  the  Piazza,  del  Independenza. 
She  did  not  give  the  footman  time  to  open  the 
carriage  door,  and,  in  defiance  of  all  the  laws 
of  etiquette,  it  was  she  herself  who  rang  and 
asked  if  the  Princess  were  at  home. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  serving-man,  "  but 

"  It  will  be  all  right ;  announce  me,"  she  said, 
in  an  imperious  tone. 

Old  Luigi  looked  slightly  scared  and  embar- 
rassed as  he  turned  and  led  the  way  for  the 
visitor.  On  entering  the  large  salon  the  piano 
could  be  heard,  and  Donna  Vittoria's  voice. 
With  that  instinctive  respect  for  music  which 
every  Italian  has,  the  footman  went  along  more 
slowly,  and  with  muffled  tread.  He  turned 
round,  even,  as  though  to  ask  whether  he  must 
interrupt  his  mistress.  Dora  stopped,  and  made 
a  sign  to  him  to  wait.  The  sight  of  the  wide- 
open  door,  with  the  hangings  drawn  back,  had 
instantly  calmed  and  almost  reassured  her.  She 
was  not  sorry  to  have  a  few  minutes  to  regain 

400 


Seeking  Proof  401 

her  composure.  With  her  heart  beating  fast, 
she  listened  to  the  exquisite  melody  Donna  Vit- 
toria  was  singing,  and  which  was  no  other  than 
The  Past,  by  Gordigiani.  She  did  not  catch  the 
words,  fortunately,  as  this  regret  for  the  past, 
expressed  with  such  intense  melancholy,  would 
not  have  failed  to  appear  suspicious  to  her  after 
the  insinuation  of  the  anonymous  letter. 

As  the  last  notes  sounded,  Luigi  went  on 
towards  the  boudoir,  and  Dora,  who  was  fol- 
lowing him,  glanced  round  the  room  as  she 
reached  the  threshold,  and  felt  a  sudden  thrill 
of  joy.  The  Princess  was  at  the  piano,  Verga 
quite  close  to  her,  and  by  the  fireplace  she  saw 
her  husband  lounging  lazily  in  a  deep  arm-chair, 
his  hands  at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  his  legs 
stretched  out.  He  was  there,  certainly,  but  not 
alone  with  the  Princess,  and  never  had  the  sight 
of  the  Marquis  caused  her  so  much  pleasure. 

The  Countess  Sant'  Anna's  name,  suddenly 
pronounced  in  the  midst  of  this  little  scene,  was 
a  surprise  to  the  occupants  of  the  room,  and 
seemed  to  ring  out  discordantly.  Donna  Vittoria 
and  the  two  men  rose. 

"  You,  Dora !  "  exclaimed  Lelo,  the  expression 
of  his  face  showing  his  astonishment. 

"  In  person,"  answered  his  wife,  in  an  off-hand 
way;  and  then,  after  shaking  hands  with  the 
Princess  and  the  Marquis,  she  added :  "  My 
visit  is  rather  ill-timed,  I  know." 

"  Not  at  all,"  Donna  Vittoria  immediately  re- 


4C2  Eve  Triumphant 

plied;  "  I  am  always  delighted  to  see  you.  Do 
sit  down,  pray !  " 

"  I  know  it  is  the  hour  reserved  for  intimate 
friends,  but  I  wanted  to  ask  you  for  some  in- 
formation, and,  as  I  was  passing,  I  ventured  to 
call.  If  I  had  known  my  husband  intended 
coming  to-day,  I  would  have  sent  a  message  by 
him." 

Dora,  to  her  great  horror,  heard  these  un- 
truths fall  from  her  own  lips  in  the  most  natural 
way. 

"  Pray  do  not  make  any  excuse.  When  I  re- 
ceive my  friends,  I  am  glad  to  see  their  friends, 
and,"  added  the  Princess,  with  an  enigmatic 
smile,  "  particularly  their  wives." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  ventured  to  hope,"  re- 
plied Dora.  "  I  interrupted  you,  though.  Will 
you  not  sing  something  else?  " 

"  Willingly." 

"Let  us  have  that  song  of  Gordigiani's  again  !" 
begged  Lelo,  with  all  the  superb  unconsciousness 
of  a  man. 

A  pained  expression  flitted  over  the  face  of 
the  Princess. 

"  Things  should  never  be  repeated,"  she  said, 
with  nervous  brusqueness.  "  I  will  sing  you 
a  Moravian  song  by  Monti,  a  young  Italian 
composer,  who  has  written  some  charming 
romances." 

And  Donna  Vittoria's  slender  fingers  and  her 
exquisite  voice  filled  the  atmosphere  of  the  little 


Seeking  Proof  403 

salon  with  notes  of  the  sweetest  melody,  and 
with  words  breathing  of  fresh  young  love.  As 
Dora  looked  at  the  beautiful  creature  whom  she 
had  qualified  as  an  old  woman  she  could  not 
help  feeling  envious.  The  Princess  was  cer- 
tainly very  fascinating  still,  with  her  delicate 
Latin  profile,  her  abundant  hair  tinged  with 
henna,  and  coiled  low  down  on  her  neck,  and 
the  harmonious  lines  of  her  graceful  figure.  In- 
voluntarily, Dora  glanced  at  Lelo.  He  had  sunk 
back  into  his  favourite  attitude,  and  was  listen- 
ing to  the  music  with  his  eyes  closed,  as  he 
always  did.  The  young  wrife  was  conscious  of 
the  bond  of  race  which  existed  between  her 
husband  and  this  Roman  patrician. 

"  Certainly,  they  have  the  same  blood  in  their 
veins,"  she  said  to  herself,  in  a  sort  of  jealous 
anger. 

When  the  Princess  finished  the  Moravian 
song,  the  two  men  applauded  warmly. 

"  How  well  yon  render  the  simple  feeling  that 
there  is  in  that  little  musical  poem/'  said  the 
Marquis  Verga. 

"  T  do  not  know  any  one  who  sings  as  you 
do,"  added  the  Countess.  "  Do  you  know,  ever 
since  I  have  been  in  Italy  I  have  felt  rather 
ashamed  of  my  banjo.  It  seems  to  me  so 
primitive." 

"  You  are  wrong,  for  it  is  very  original,"  an- 
swered Donna  Vittoria  graciously;  "and  you 
play  it  wonderfully  well." 


404  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Oh,  it  suits  my  character.  I  cannot  imagine 
myself  with  a  guitar  all  tied  with  ribbons,  sing- 
ing sentimental  things.  One  is  obliged  to  put 
up  with  being  as  one  is  born.  And  now,"  she 
continued,  "  will  you  be  good  enough  to  tell 
me  what  you  can  about  a  certain  Battista 
Varano  who  was  in  service  with  you?  " 

"  I  will  leave  you  to  talk  domestic  affairs," 
said  Sant'  Anna,  rising.  "  Are  you  coming, 
Verga?  "  he  added. 

"  Are  you  not  going  to  wait  for  me? "  ex- 
claimed Dora,  looking  displeased. 

"  No,  I  want  a  walk — I  don't  care  to  drive." 

"  As  you  like." 

Lelo  had  seen  through  the  little  comedy  at 
once.  He  did  not  care  to  be  taken  away  by  his 
wife,  like  a  little  boy;  and  as  he  could  not 
decently  stay  after  her,  he  preferred  going  at 
once. 

"  I  am  glad  that  I  have  nothing  to  say  against 
Battista,"  began  the  Princess,  as  soon  as  the  two 
men  had  left  the  room.  "  He  was  with  me  three 
months,  while  one  of  my  footmen  was  away,  and 
he  is  an  excellent  servant." 

"  Ah,  so  much  the  better,  for  I  was  pleased 
with  him." 

"  Do  you  like  Italian  servants?  " 

"  Yes,  they  are  refined  and  intelligent,  and 
seem  to  get  attached  to  those  who  employ 
them." 

"  They  do,  certainly." 


Seeking  Proof  405 

"  I  prefer  the  Neapolitans.  They  seem  to  me 
quicker." 

Dora  would  never  have  owned,  even  to  her- 
self, that  her  predilection  was  due  to  the  fact 
that,  according  to  the  custom  of  their  country, 
they  always  gave  her  the  fine  title  of  "  Eccel- 
enza,"  which  was  sweet  to  her  ear  and  her 
vanity. 

"  After  all,  though,  I  cannot  complain  of  my 
servants.  They  stand  rather  in  awe  of  their 
American  mistress,  and  my  Saxon  hardness 
softens  down  before — well,  I  don't  know  what, 
the  charm  of  the  race,  perhaps.  I  am  weak 
enough  to  choose  my  servants  always  as  hand- 
some as  possible,  and  then  I  am  disarmed  all 
the  more  easily." 

This  was  said  with  a  simplicity  which  did  not 
allow  of  any  wrong  interpretation. 

"  You  are  an  admirer  of  beauty?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  have  proved  that  I  am,"  said 
Dora,  with  a  little  triumphant  laugh. 

This  allusion  to  her  husband's  good  looks  was 
bad  form,  but  the  young  wife  had  a  vague  crav- 
ing for  vengeance,  and  with  this  speech  she  had 
certainly  wounded  her  rival.  Donna  Vittoria's 
eyelids  quivered. 

"  You  have  certainly  proved  it,  as  you  say," 
she  answered,  and  her  lips  took  a  disdainful, 
ironical  expression.  "  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Sant' 
Anna  has  always  had  great  success  with  your 
countrywomen." 


406  Eve  Triumphant 

"  I  am  not  at  all  surprised,"  remarked  the 
Countess  gaily,  and  getting  up,  she  added : 
"  You  will  excuse  me,  won't  you,  for  calling  so 
late ;  I  had  promised  to  give  this  Battista  a  reply 
at  once.  I  shall  engage  him  now  on  your  recom- 
mendation. Shall  you  be  at  Mrs.  Swift's  *  At- 
Home '  to-morrow?  " 

"  Yes.  I  enjoy  these  little  cosmopolitan  affairs 
— they  are  quite  interesting,"  said  the  Princess, 
in  a  patronising  way.  "  They  enable  me  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  American  society  without 
stirring  from  my  own  part  of  the  world.  I  am 
more  and  more  astonished  at  the  difference  be- 
tween us  in  character  and  temperament.  One 
wrould  really  think  we  did  not  belong  to  the 
same  planet." 

It  was  the  young  wife's  turn  now  to  wince, 
for  she  did  not  like  to  be  reminded  how  far 
she  was  from  her  husband. 

"  That  is  so — we  are  different.  I  am  quite 
aware  of  it,"  she  replied,  with  a  hard  intona- 
tion. "  You  see  life  as  it  used  to  be,  and  we 
see  it  as  it  is  now ;  but  in  spite  of  that,  the  Old 
World  and  the  New  World  get  on  very  well 
together  in  Rome.  They  do  not  understand 
each  other  thoroughly,  but  they  agree  very  well, 
and  that  is  the  essential  thing.  It  must  be  that 
there  are  a  great  many  things  for  them  to  teach 
each  other  since  they  have  been  put  into  such 
close  contact." 

"  That  may  be." 


Seeking  Proof  407 

"  Well,  then,  I  shall  see  you  to-morrow  at 
the  Grand  Hotel,  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
— do  not  be  too  severe  in  your  criticisms.  There 
is  some  good  in  us,  believe  me — or  rather,  ask 
your  friend  Lelo,"  said  Dora.  And  with  this 
parting  shaft  she  took  leave  of  the  Princess. 

Donna  Vittoria  watched  her  visitor  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  shrugged  her  shoulders  with 
a  graceful  movement. 

"  Gelosa! "  (jealous),  she  said  aloud,  with  an 
ironical  smile. 

When  Dora  was  in  her  carriage  she  drew  a 
long  breath;  her  heart  was  greatly  relieved,  al- 
though the  soreness  was  still  there.  She  was 
sure  now  that  her  husband  was  not  guilty. 
"  Thank  heaven ! "  she  murmured  to  herself ; 
and  then  taking  out  of  her  little  gold  chain 
purse  the  cruel  letter  she  had  put  there,  she 
began  to  read  it  again. 

"  Oh,  the  horrid  people,  the  horrid  people !  " 
she  muttered  between  her  clenched  teeth. 

But  what  a  lecture  she  would  have  from  Lelo ! 
He  had  seen  through  things,  and  it  was  to  show 
her  he  was  annoyed  that  he  had  gone  away  be- 
fore her.  It  could  not  be  helped,  and  it  was 
just  as  well,  perhaps,  for  him  to  know  of  what 
she  was  capable.  Had  he  really  loved  Donna 
Vittoria?  She  could  not  help  being  uneasy 
about  those  words :  "  One  always  returns  to 
one's  first  love." 

Doubt  marks  the  heart  just  as  the  diamond 


408  Eve  Triumphant 

marks  glass,  and  leaves  an  indelible  trace  on 
it.  Dora's  heart  would  now  bear  this  trace  for 
ever. 

Sant'  Anna  reached  home  just  after  his  wife. 
She  was  waiting  for  him  in  her  boudoir,  and 
when  he  entered  he  was  frowning  ominously. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  what  took  you  to  the  Prin- 
cess Marina's  at  such  an  extraordinary  hour?  " 
he  asked.  "  Those  references  were  nothing  but 
a  pretext." 

Dora,  irritated  at  this  domineering  tone,  re- 
volted at  once. 

" Quite  so;  it  was  with  the  sole  hope  of  meet- 
ing you  there  that  I  went." 

"  I  guessed  as  much.  Well,  then,  let  me  tell 
you  that  this  way  of  looking  up  one's  husband 
is  abominably  vulgar.  Such  things  are  not  done 
in  the  society  to  which  I  am  accustomed." 

"  No,  perhaps  not,  but  much  worse  things  are, 
though.  Judge  for  yourself,"  and,  with  a  mali- 
cious little  laugh  of  triumph,  the  Countess 
handed  Lelo  the  unfortunate  anonymous  letter. 

Somewhat  startled,  he  took  it  and  glanced 
hurriedly  at  its  contents,  turning  pale  with 
anger  as  he  read.  He  then  examined  the  blue- 
tinted  paper  closely,  and  even  smelt  it.  His 
face  suddenly  brightened,  and  he  burst  out 
laughing. 

"  Another  consequence  of  your  white  dinner, 
confound  it !  "  he  said. 

«  You  think  it  is?  " 


Seeking  Proof  409 

"  I  think  so?  There  is  no  doubt  whatever 
about  it.  The  thing  is  mean  and  infamous,  but 
it  will  teach  you  to  be  more  prudent,  and  not 
to  offend  people  whose  character  you  do  not  un- 
derstand, and  whose  power  you  little  imagine. 
All  is  fair  here,  you  know,  in  politics  and 
religion." 

The  Count  read  the  letter  again,  and  put  it 
in  his  pocket. 

"  I  shall  find  out  the  writer  before  I  have 
finished.  It  is  just  as  well  to  know  one's 
enemies.  And  so,"  he  continued,  with  a  smile, 
"  you  hoped  to  surprise  me  in  criminal  conversa- 
tion, as  you  say  in  English, — a  delicious  expres- 
sion, by  the  bye, — and  you  found  me  listening 
very  innocently  to  a  song.  You  were  disap- 
pointed, were  n't  you?  " 

"  Oh,  Lelo,  don't  joke  on  such  a  subject!  You 
do  not  know  how  I  have  suffered.  I  would  not 
live  this  day  over  again  for  anything  in  the 
world." 

"  I  joke  about  it,  instead  of  being  angry." 

"  Instead  of  your  being  angry ! "  exclaimed 
Dora,  her  breath  literally  taken  away.  "  Am 
I  again  in  the  wrong?  " 

"  Absolutely !  "  answered  Sant'  Anna,  display- 
ing the  Italian  tactics  in  all  their  beauty.  "  You 
should  have  shown  me  the  letter,  and  asked  me 
the  truth  of  the  matter." 

"  Just  as  though  you  would  have  told  me !  I 
preferred  finding  it  out  for  myself," 


410  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Your  distrust  is  neither  flattering  for  you 
nor  for  me,  and  I  do  not  merit  it,"  said  the 
Count  coldly.  "  If  you  had  arrived  at  Donna 
Vittoria's  a  few  minutes  earlier,  you  would  have 
found  Peretti  there.  He  would  soon  have 
guessed  the  object  of  your  visit,  and  to-morrow 
all  Rome  would  have  known  that  you  were  jeal- 
ous of  the  Princess,  and  that  you  kept  watch 
over  me.  Pleasant  for  both  of  us,  that — don't 
you  think  so?  " 

Dora  did  not  answer.  She  was  inwardly 
furious  that  her  husband  should  once  more  be 
able  to  prove  himself  in  the  right. 

"  You  must  accept  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  society  into  which  you  have  come,"  con- 
tinued Lelo.  "  You  cannot  expect  that  we  shall 
all  conform  to  your  American  ideas." 

"  I  have  no  hope  of  that — certainly  not !  " 

"  That  is  a  good  thing !  Well,  then,  until  you 
are  better  acquainted  with  us,  you  ought  to  be 
guided  by  me.  Now,  for  instance,  by  suddenly 
appearing  at  the  wrong  time  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  a  lady  with  whom  you  are  not  on  in- 
timate terms,  as  you  did  this  afternoon,  you  were 
guilty  of  a  breach  of  etiquette.  Donna  Vittoria 
would  never  have  taken  such  a  liberty  with  you." 

"No;  she  would  probably  have  found  a  less 
straightforward  way  of  getting  her  information." 

"  Well,  for  a  person  who  prides  herself  on  her 
respect  for  the  truth,  you  certainly  treated  it 
lightly  enough  this  afternoon,"  observed  Sant' 


Seeking  Proof  411 

Anna,  smiling.  "  Upon  my  word,  I  could  not 
believe  my  ears !  " 

This  time  Dora  really  felt  guilty  and  she 
could  not  help  blushing. 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  she  confessed,  "  and  all 
those  lies  came  to  me  without  my  having  pre- 
pared them.  It  is  frightful  what  one  can  do 
and  say  when  actuated  by — by— 

"  By  jealousy !     Go  on — be  frank  about  it." 

"  By  jealousy,  then — yes  " ;  and  the  perfidious 
words  of  the  letter  coming  once  more  to  her 
mind,  she  added :  "  After  all,  there  was  some 
truth  in  it — I  did  find  you  at  the  Princess 
Marina's,  and  perhaps  you  do  go  there  every 
day." 

"  I  own  that  I  have  gone  often  lately.  I  have 
been  worried  and  bothered,  and  so  I  wanted  to 
hear  some  music.  That  always  does  my  nerves 
more  good  than  anything." 

"  Nerves — nerves !  "  repeated  Dora  impa- 
tiently. "  A  man  ought  to  have  muscles." 

"  Really?  You  ought  to  have  married  an 
acrobat,  then,  if  you  wanted  muscles ! " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  go  as  far  as  that ! "  answered 
the  Countess,  laughing;  "  but  I  do  wish  you  were 
rather  less  nervous,  and  that  you  did  not  have 
such  strange  fancies." 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  change  my  tem- 
perament, even  to  please  you.  You  cannot  make 
a  Perche  horse  of  an  Arab  steed.  And  then, 
too,  believe  me,  although  muscles  may  be  needed 


412  Eve  Triumphant 

for  accomplishing  many  very  fine  things,  nerves 
are  necessary  for  plenty  of  the  beautiful  things 
in  life,  and  nerves  are  essential  for  feeling  the 
beauty  of  things." 

The  Count  went  up  to  his  wife,  and  putting 
his  arm  round  her  neck,  drew  her  head  towards 
him. 

"  Come  now,  mia  cam,"  he  said,  "  don't  alarm 
yourself  about  my  fancies;  they  are  very  inno- 
cent, I  swear  it.  We  have  been  married  nearly 
two  years,  and  I  have  never  once  been  faithless 
to  you,  even  in  thought.  We  can  be  very  happy 
together,  if  only  you  will  not  spoil  everything 
with  petty  exactions  and  foolish  jealousy.  When 
I  was  a  child,  if  only  people  trusted  my  word 
and  had  faith  in  me,  I  never  deceived  them. 
Have  confidence  in  me." 

Dora  Sant'  Anna,  and  not  Dora  Carroll, 
turned  her  lips  towards  the  hand  which  was 
caressing  her,  and  kissed  it  hurriedly;  and  then, 
disengaging  herself  from  her  husband's  embrace, 
she  looked  into  his  eyes. 

"  Is  it  true  that  the  Princess  Marina  was  your 
first  love?  "  she  asked,  incapable  of  keeping  back 
the  burning  question. 

"  She  was  the  first  woman  I  ever  admired," 
answered  the  Count,  cleverly  employing  the 
American  euphemism.  "  And  now,  try  to  for- 
get this  abominable  letter.  By  allowing  it  to 
worry  you,  you  would  be  giving  too  much  satis- 
faction to  the  person  who  owes  you  a  grudge." 


Seeking  Proof  413 

As  he  said  this,  Sant'  Anna  glanced  at  the 
clock.  "Per  Bacco!  it  is  half-past  seven;  we 
must  go  and  dress." 

Dora  had  become  too  feminine  since  she  had 
been  in  Europe  not  to  seize  this  unique  moment 
for  obtaining  what  she  wanted. 

"  By  the  bye,  Lelo,  you  have  not  answered  me 
about  our  trip  to  America ;  I  fancy  if  you  were 
to  tell  mamma  this  evening  we  are  going  to 
accompany  her  it  would  give  her  great  pleasure." 

"  And  you,  too?  " 

"  And  me,  too.  " 

"  You  are  sure  that  baby  would  stand  the 
crossing?  " 

"  Perfectly  well." 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  don't  kill  him  for  me  in 
your  anxiety  to  give  him  muscle." 

"  Don't  be  afraid ;  I  will  take  the  responsibility 
of  that." 

"  Well,  then,  we  will  start  whenever  you  like." 

"  That 's  a  promise?  " 

"  An  oath." 

As  soon  as  he  was  in  his  own  room,  and  be- 
fore ringing  for  his  valet,  the  Count  again  ex- 
amined the  anonymous  letter.  It  was  as  though 
he  had  guessed  the  author  of  it,  for  a  faint 
colour  came  into  his  face,  and  he  bit  his  lip. 

"  Che  streghe  queste  donne!"  ("What  male- 
volent creatures  women  are!  ")  he  exclaimed,  as 
he  tossed  the  blue-tinted  sheet  of  paper  into  one 
of  the  drawers  in  his  secretaire. 


414  Eve  Triumphant 

The  Italian  with  an  American  wife  invariably 
experiences,  in  the  early  days  of  his  married 
life,  a  certain  moral  fatigue.  His  natural  indo- 
lence is  exasperated  by  Saxon  activity;  his 
erratic  mind,  constantly  being  brought  back  to 
the  straight  line  and  to  literalness  by  the  posi- 
tive spirit  of  his  wife,  revolts  against  the  new 
yoke.  The  continual  use  of  the  curb  on  account 
of  difference  of  race  and  education  irritates  his 
nervous  sensibility,  especially  when  the  reins  are 
held  by  a  rather  hard  hand.  The  monotonous 
voice  of  the  foreigner  jars  on  his  musical  ear. 
He  gets  used  to  all  this  in  the  end,  or  rather, 
he  gets  away  from  it.  He  only  hears  what  he 
wishes  to,  does  not  interfere,  and  in  this  way 
is  perfectly  happy.  It  was  the  unconscious  crav- 
ing for  repose  and  harmony  which  attracted 
Lelo  to  Donna  Vittoria,  that  beautiful  patrician 
woman,  with  whom  he  had  such  strong  affinities. 
Her  well  modulated  voice,  her  supple  movements, 
her  aristocratic  grace,  soothed  him  without  his 
being  aware  of  it.  She  knew  when  to  speak  or 
be  silent,  and  she  guessed  what  song  or  melody 
would  suit  the  humour  he  was  in.  When  he 
had  met  her  again  at  society  gatherings  after 
his  marriage,  it  had  been  an  immense  relief  to 
him  to  find  her  cordial  and  perfectly  natural. 
He  had  never  even  suspected  her  heroism.  When 
a  man  no  longer  loves,  he  does  not  understand 
that  a  woman  can  continue  loving,  and  that  slie 
suffers.  Reassured  bv  Donna  Vittoria's  attitude 


Seeking  Proof  415 

towards  him,  Sant'  Anna  had  called  on  her  at 
her  usual  reception  hour.  He  had  gone  the  first 
time  with  one  of  his  friends,  and  then  he  had 
returned  over  and  over  again,  with  ever-increas- 
ing pleasure.  He  liked  being  there  better  than 
at  the  club.  Strictly  speaking,  he  had  nothing 
with  which  to  reproach  himself,  as  he  looked 
upon  the  Princess  now  merely  as  an  old  friend. 
It  was  Dora,  with  her  youth  and  gaiety,  whom 
he  loved.  His  home,  such  as  she  had  made  it, 
luxurious  and  modern,  seemed  to  him  extremely 
pleasant  and  comfortable,  and  he  was  quite  satis- 
fied with  his  lot  in  life.  This  anonymous  letter 
disturbed  his  equanimity.  It  was  quite  true 
that  he  had  been  very  often  lately  to  Donna 
Vittoria's,  but  not  every  day.  The  words  of 
Gordigiani's  song,  which  she  had  sung  to  him 
only  that  evening,  came  to  his  mind,  and  in- 
voluntarily his  lips  repeated  them: 

"  Tempo  passato 

Perche"  non  torni  piu?" 
("  O  bygone  days,  why  will  you  not  return?") 

"  Diavolo!  diavolo!"  he  exclaimed,  as  though 
seized  with  sudden  alarm,  "  we  '11  go  to 
America ! " 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

CHUMS  OF  OLD 

"  PEACE  be  with  you,  now  and  always."  The 
Brahmin's  words  had  not  been  vain  ones, 
for  peace  had  remained  with  Mrs.  Ronald.  The 
thought  of  Sant'  Anna  was  still  there  in  her 
mind,  but  less  vivid — powerless  to  accelerate  the 
beating  of  her  heart  or  to  cause  her  any  regret. 
Thanks  to  the  Hindoo,  she  had  received  a  still 
more  divine  gift.  According  to  his  promise,  he 
had  inspired  her  with  the  understanding  of  hu- 
man fraternity,  and  had  put  her  into  closer 
communion  with  the  poor,  with  inferior  be- 
ings, and  with  Nature.  Her  comprehension  had 
developed,  her  charity  had  acquired  more  ten- 
derness and  warmth,  and  unlooked-for  events 
had  taken  place  which  were  destined  to  purify 
her  soul  of  the  dross  which  unhappy  love  had 
left  there. 

On  returning  to  America,  Helen  had  found 
the  country  in  the  first  throes  of  the  war-fever. 
The  majority  of  women  of  the  higher  class  were 
preaching  and  hoping  for  peace.  Many  of  them 
had  travelled  in  Spain,  and  had  felt,  in  a  more 
or  less  degree,  its  charm,  its  poetry,  and  the 

416 


Chums  of  Old  417 

splendour  of  its  great  past.  All  of  them  had 
a  certain  sympathy  of  sex,  a  sincere  admiration 
for  the  Queen  Regent,  and  tender  pity  for  the 
child-king.  Moved  by  these  sentiments,  they  had 
declared  this  war  unworthy  of  a  nation  as  civil- 
ised as  theirs,  and  had  denounced  unsparingly 
the  self-interest  and  petty  ambitions  which  were 
hidden  under  the  humanitarian  banner — that 
banner  which  is  so  often  used  as  a  cover  for  the 
worst  things.  When  once  war  was  proclaimed, 
they  were  all  seized  with  patriotic  affection  for 
their  country,  and  hatred  of  the  Spanish.  Many 
of  them  gave  proofs  of  the  noblest  generosity 
and  self-sacrifice.  Their  generation  experienced 
for  the  first  time  the  horror  of  war,  and  all  the 
anguish  of  a  homicidal  struggle.  They  trembled 
and  prayed  for  their  husbands,  brothers,  and 
fathers;  they  rejoiced  to  hear  the  cannon  which 
announced  victory,  and  were  thrilled  by  the 
stories  of  heroic  deeds.  And  all  these  waves  of 
emotion,  these  intensely  human  sentiments,  put 
fresh  life  into  many  a  woman's  heart,  and  af- 
fected none,  perhaps,  more  deeply  than  Helen. 
Henry  Eonald,  Charley  Beauchamp,  and  Jack 
Ascott  were  among  the  first  to  enlist,  and  all 
three  joined  the  same  regiment. 

At  the  battle  of  San  Juan,  on  the  1st  of  July, 
while  storming  the  hill  which  covers  Santiago, 
Jack  met  with  the  death  he  had  so  ardently 
desired.  Charley  Beauchamp  was  spared,  but 
Mr.  Ronald  received  two  serious  wounds  in  the 

37 


4i 8  Eve  Triumphant 

leg.  Helen  had  followed  the  regiment  as  far  as 
Florida,  where,  with  several  of  her  friends,  she 
had  established  an  ambulance.  She  managed  to 
get  to  her  husband,  and  this  was  the  first  time 
she  had  ever  had  an  opportunity  of  doing  any- 
thing for  him,  as  hitherto  it  was  she  who  had 
received  and  exacted  everything  from  him. 
He  lay  there  now,  dependent  on  her,  as  weak 
as  a  child,  and  wounded  like  a  hero.  Sbe 
watched  over  him  day  and  night,  and  an  ever- 
increasing  love  and  tenderness  made  her  fingers 
wonderfully  skilful  and  light.  Thanks  to  her 
untiring  care  and  patient  nursing,  she  saved  his 
leg  from  the  surgeon's  knife,  and  found  in  this 
most  womanly  work  the  sweetest  happiness  and 
joy  she  had  ever  known.  Her  very  anguish  and 
devotion  caused  such  love  for  her  husband  to 
spring  up  within  her  as  he  had  hitherto  been 
powerless  to  inspire.  It  was  not  until  Septem- 
ber that  she  could  take  him  away  to  Massa- 
chusetts, to  Sant  Hubert,  the  lovely  estate  which 
she  had  inherited  from  her  father.  He  soon  re- 
gained his  strength  there,  and  this  period  of 
convalescence  was  to  both  of  them  like  a  second 
honeymoon,  but  an  infinitely  happier  one  than 
the  first  had  been. 

Towards  the  middle  of  October  they  returned 
to  New  York.  Mr.  Ronald  was  just  preparing 
to  make  known  to  the  world  the  new  force  he 
had  discovered — a  force  which  was  considerably 
to  increase  a  man's  power.  Helen  had  entirely 


Chums  of  Old  419 

transformed  her  famous  dressing-room.  The 
walls  were  no  longer  hung  with  shot  brocade, 
there  were  no  more  salamanders  and  butterflies 
on  the  panels.  The  doorways  were  hung  with 
antique  Persian  draperies  now,  and  the  wood- 
work was  all  white  and  soft-looking;  the  water- 
colours  by  Leloir  and  Corelli  were  still  there,  and 
one  oil-painting,  Titania's  Folly.,  by  Willie 
Grey.  Seated  in  front  of  her  mirror,  Helen  was 
polishing  her  nails  in  an  absent-minded  way. 
She  was  wearing  a  mauve-grey  dress  of  a  soft, 
clinging  material,  and  was  gazing  at  herself  in 
the  glass  without  seeing  anything.  Her  mirror, 
which  was  the  same  one,  reflected  a  very  dif- 
ferent face  now,  with  an  expression  so  much 
nobler  and  more  gentle.  Between  her  eyebrows 
there  was  a  wrinkle  which  betokened  thought. 
In  order  to  paint  her,  another  palette  would 
have  been  necessary,  for  her  beauty  had  taken 
a  richer  and  warmer  tone.  Her  hair  was  some- 
what darker,  her  complexion  softer,  and  under 
her  large  brown  eyes  her  unhappy  love  had  left 
its  marks  in  light  but  indelible  circles. 

On  the  dressing-table  was  an  open  letter,  and 
from  some  distance  away  it  was  easy  to  recog- 
nise Dora's  extravagant  handwriting. 

The  war  had  delayed  the  Sant'  Annas'  depart- 
ure, so  that  they  had  not  arrived  in  America 
until  the  end  of  August,  and  had  gone  direct 
to  Maine,  where  they  had  stayed  in  the  coun- 
try during  September  and  October.  The  young 


420  Eve  Triumphant 

Countess  had  arrived  in  New  York  only  that 
very  day,  and  was  staying  at  the  Waldorf  Hotel. 
She  had  written,  saying  that  she  should  call  on 
Mrs.  Ronald  in  the  afternoon,  and  Helen  was 
now  expecting  her  with  some  emotion  and  great 
curiosity.  Just  as  the  clock  struck  four,  a 
sharp  knock,  which  would  have  been  recognised 
among  a  thousand,  was  heard  at  the  door,  and 
as  of  old,  Dora  immediately  rushed  into  the 
room. 

"  Here  I  am !  "  she  exclaimed,  as  she  entered. 

"  Body ! " 

The  old  pet  name  came  quite  naturally  to 
Helen's  lips.  The  two  women  kissed  each  other 
impulsively,  and  then,  slightly  affected  by  the 
meeting,  they  gazed  into  each  other's  eyes  with- 
out speaking  for  a  few  seconds. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  again ! "  said  the 
Countess. 

"  Then  all  your  grandeur  has  not  made  you 
forget  your  friends?  " 

Dora  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  Oh,  no !  "  she  answered,  smiling.  "  My  van- 
ity is  immense,  but  it  has  no  depth,  and  it  never 
reaches  down  to  the  heart." 

"  So  much  the  better.  Your  note  was  an 
agreeable  surprise  to  me,  as  I  did  not  expect 
you  until  next  week." 

"  The  weather  was  too  bad  for  us  to  stay  any 
longer  in  the  country.  Lelo  had  accepted  an- 
other invitation  to  a  shooting  party,  so  I  came 


Chums  of  Old  421 

on  first  with  mamma.  You  will  see  her  pre- 
sently; she  is  to  bring  baby.  I  was  in  such  a 
hurry  to  show  him  to  you.  He  is  so  beautiful 
that  he  would  make  a  queen  envious." 

"  The  voyage  and  the  change  of  climate  have 
not  affected  him?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  thank  heaven !  He  has  no  idea  how 
grateful  I  am  to  him  for  keeping  so  well.  If 
anything  had  happened  to  him,  the  Sant'  Annas 
would  never  have  forgiven  me." 

"  Let  us  go  to  the  little  drawing-room." 

"  Oh,  do  let  us  stay  here  a  few  minutes !  We 
can  talk  better  here  " ;  and  then,  looking  round, 
the  Countess  added :  "  Why,  you  've  changed 
everything! " 

"  When  one  is  getting  old,  it  is  better  to  have 
more  sober  surroundings." 

"  You — getting  old !  Why,  you  are  more 
beautiful  than  ever!"  And,  suddenly  noticing 
Willie  Grey's  picture,  she  continued :  "  Ah ! 
there 's  Titania's  Folly.  To  have  a  subject 
like  that  in  one's  house,  a  woman  needs  to  have 
a  very  superior  husband  like  yours.  In  many 
houses  it  would  be  a  regular  satire." 

"  Yes,  that 's  true,"  assented  Helen,  smiling. 

Dora  took  off  her  jacket  and  gloves,  and  throw- 
ing them  on  the  sofa,  sat  down  in  Mr.  Ronald's 
rocking-chair. 

"  The  dear  old  chair ! "  she  said,  stroking  the 
arms  of  it  with  her  dainty  little  hands.  "  I  have 
never  found  one  as  comfortable  as  this." 


422  Eve  Triumphant 

Helen  had  taken  her  seat  again  in  front  of 
her  dressing-table. 

"  Tell  me  about  Henry,"  said  the  Countess. 
"  How  is  his  leg?  " 

"  He  can  walk  now.  I  was  so  afraid  that  he 
would  lose  it." 

"  And  I  can  assure  you  that  I  shared  your  anx- 
iety. I  kept  fancying  all  it  would  mean  to  such 
an  active  man  as  he  is  to  lose  a  limb.  I  fancied 
him  lame,  walking  with  crutches,  and  it  was  a 
regular  nightmare  to  me.  I  can  tell  you  I  gave 
a  sigh  of  relief  the  day  you  wired  to  say  that 
all  fear  of  amputation  was  over." 

"  And  think  of  me !  I  went  through  a  terrible 
time  of  anxiety;  I  am  only  surprised  that  my 
hair  did  not  turn  grey." 

Dora  began  to  rock  herself  in  a  quick,  jerky 
way,  which  was  a  sign  of  some  sudden  nervous 
agitation.  She  looked  at  Helen,  half-closing  her 
eyes  as  she  did  so,  and  attempted  twice  to  speak, 
without  uttering  a  word. 

"  And  so,"  she  said,  at  last,  in  a  hoarse  voice 
— "  Jack  was  killed !  " 

"  Yes,  on  the  1st  of  July,  at  the  battle  of  San 
Juan ;  and  it  was  really  a  great  mercy  for  him. 
After  giving  up  business,  he  had  taken  to  drink- 
ing and  gambling  in  the  most  awful  way.  He 
had  bought  a  ranch  out  West,  and  from  time 
to  time  he  would  go  off  there,  as  though  he  were 
trying  to  stop  himself  on  his  downward  path, 
and  then  he  would  come  back  and  begin  again 


Chums  of  Old  423 

— getting  lower  and  lower.  It  was  perfectly 
heart-rending!  He  enlisted  at  the  time  that 
Henry  and  Charley  did.  Both  of  them  told  me 
that  during  the  campaign,  and  especially  at  El 
Caney,  his  cool  daring  was  most  admirable. 
Under  the  enemy's  fire  he  rushed  forward  to  give 
the  orders  he  had  received,  and  he  picked  up  the 
wounded  men  and  carried  them  to  the  banks  of 
the  river.  There  was  every  chance  of  being 
killed  in  that  affair  on  the  1st  of  July,  in  which 
so  many  lives  were  sacrificed.  Seven  thousand 
men  had  been  sent  into  the  valley  opposite  the 
San  Juan  hill,  which  covered  Santiago,  and 
which  was  spitting  fire  like  some  volcano  in 
eruption.  It  was  impossible  to  draw  back ;  they 
had  either  to  take  it  or  be  killed  to  the  last 
man.  They  made  themselves  masters  of  the 
situation,  but  with  enormous  loss  of  life. 
Charley,  Henry,  and  Jack  were  in  the  first  line 
which  ascended  to  storm  the  hill,  a  thin  line 
spread  out  like  a  bow.  They  all  climbed  up 
slowly  under  the  thunder  of  the  batteries,  while 
at  every  step  the  danger  increased,  and  the  firing 
of  the  enemy  was  more  and  more  murderous. 
At  the  last  volley  of  the  Spaniards,  Henry  and 
Jack  were  wounded,  and  Henry  fell  down  as 
the  ball  entered  his  leg.  Jack  was  struck  in 
the  chest,  but,  in  spite  of  his  wound,  with  his 
eyes  starting  out  of  their  sockets,  he  went  on 
up  the  hill.  Instead  of  any  weapon,  he  was  car- 
rying a  flag,  and,  by  a  miracle  of  heroism  and 


424  Eve  Triumphant 

force  of  will,  he  reached  the  summit  of  the 
deserted  entrenchment,  planted  the  starry  ban- 
ner in  the  soft  ground,  and  then  fell  down  on 
his  face.  Charley  helped  him  up,  but  he  lived 
only  a  few  minutes.  Dying  as  he  was,  he  must 
have  heard  the  hurrahs  of  victory,  for  he  passed 
away  with  a  smile  on  his  lips." 

While  listening  to  all  this,  Dora  had  uncon- 
sciously rocked  her  chair  with  a  slower  move- 
ment, and  finally  brought  it  to  a  standstill. 
Moved  by  deep  emotion,  her  eyes  had  become 
misty  as  she  opened  them  wider  and  wider,  and 
then  they  had  filled  with  tears. 

"  I  have  not  told  you  this  to  cause  you  pain," 
said  Mrs.  Ronald,  "  but  to  honour  poor  Jack's 
memory,  and  so  that  you  should  really  know 
his  worth." 

"  I  do  know  it,"  answered  the  Countess 
promptly,  as  she  wiped  her  cheeks.  "  I  do  not 
feel  any  remorse,  because  I  fancy  that  our  des- 
tinies are  not  in  our  own  hands ;  but  I  wish  that 
some  one  else  could  have  been  chosen  to  have 
sent  Jack  to  that  glorious  end.  I  did  not  love 
him  enough  to  have  been  able  to  make  him 
happy,  and  with  me  his  life  would  have  been  a 
torment  to  him.  That  thought  will  always  be 
a  consolation." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  housemaid  came  in 
to  announce  that  tea  was  ready,  and  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald held  out  her  arm  to  Dora,  and  took  her 
into  a  charming  little  salon  all  pale  green, 


Chums  of  Old  425 

with  panels  of  grey  and  gold.  The  two  women 
were  silent  for  a  few  minutes,  both  of  them 
deeply  moved. 

"  What  does  your  husband  think  of  America?  " 
asked  Helen,  by  way  of  starting  the  conversation 
again. 

"  He  likes  it  better  than  I  had  dared  to  hope. 
I  was  so  afraid  that  he  would  feel  bored  here, 
and  when  he  is  bored  it 's  as  bad  as  an  attack 
of  influenza;  he  is  miserable,  and  does  not  speak 
a  word.  It  is  most  irritating !  It  was  most  for- 
tunate that  the  d'Anguilhons  and  the  De  Ke>a- 
dieus  were  over  this  year.  I  invited  them  to 
Orienta,  so  that  we  had  a  very  good  time.  Lelo 
was  perfectly  charming.  Certainly  he  was  made 
a  great  deal  of.  I  verily  believe  I  shall  have 
more  difficulty  in  looking  after  him  here  than 
in  Rome,"  said  the  Countess,  with  a  nervous 
little  laugh.  "  American  women  have  a  detest- 
able way  of  encouraging  a  man  to  make  love 
to  them." 

"  And  you  are  the  one  to  complain  of  this — 
you,  of  all  people !  " 

Dora  blushed. 

"  Excuse  me,  I  never  flirted  with  other 
women's  husbands.  Besides,  I  have  nothing  to 
fear.  Lelo  loves  me,  I  am  quite  sure  of  that, 
and  more  than  ever.  Then,  too,  Italian  men  are 
very  wise  and  very  selfish;  they  know  on  which 
side  their  bread  is  buttered.  A  wife  who  has 
children  and  money  is  very  powerful." 


426  Eve  Triumphant 

"  I  had  the  d'Anguilhons  here  to  dinner  last 
week.  Annie  looks  perfectly  happy." 

"  Oh,  she  adores  her  husband !  and  when  one 
is  in  love  everything  is  easy.  Good  heavens, 
what  a  force  love  is ! " 

This  reflection  was  uttered  in  such  an  irre- 
sistibly funny  tone  that  Mrs.  Ronald  could  not 
help  smiling. 

"  The  Marquis  is  charming,"  added  the  Count- 
ess, "  but  he  would  make  me  uneasy ;  he  has 
such  a  complex  sort  of  nature,  and  one  never 
knows  exactly  of  what  Frenchmen  are  capable. 
Lelo  is  much  more  easy  to  understand.  He  has 
not  a  vestige  of  ideality  or  enthusiasm;  he  has 
a  big  heart,  plenty  of  wit,  and — nerves !  That 's 
quite  sufficient  for  Dody." 

"  And  so  you  are  satisfied  with  your  lot?  " 

"  More  than  satisfied." 

"  And  particularly  delighted  at  having  a 
title?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly ;  I  make  no  secret  of  that. 
When  I  was  a  child,  I  used  to  make  my  little 
friends  into  aristocrats  for  the  mere  pleasure 
of  playing  with  princes  and  dukes.  It  was  a 
presentiment,  no  doubt." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  Roman  society?  " 

"  Oh,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
society  of  every  country,  whether  French,  Eng- 
lish, or  Transatlantic,  is  nothing  but  a  fagade, 
each,  of  course,  with  a  different  style  of  architect- 
ure. We  cannot  expect  deep  feeling  or  elevated 


Chums  of  Old  427 

ideas  among  worldly  people.  Roman  society, 
too,  is  nothing  but  a  fagade.  It  has  beautiful 
lines,  noble  and  simple  like  those  of  its  palaces, 
but  they  can  scarcely  be  distinguished,  they  are 
so  black  and  dirty  with  the  dust  of  centuries, 
or,  in  other  words,  with  prejudices  and  ante- 
diluvian ideas  and  sentiments.  Here  and  there 
one  comes  across  a  few  clean,  new-looking 
patches — the  Ttalo-American  clan,  for  instance. 
I  am  quite  aware  that  these  patches  are  ugly, 
but  the  question  is,  will  they  get  black,  too,  to 
match  the  rest,  or  will  the  rest  get  clean?  Chi 
loaaf 

Helen  looked  at  the  young  wife  in  surprise. 

"  I  see  you  have  not  lost  your  talent  for  mak- 
ing picturesque  comparisons,"  she  said  smiling. 
"  This  one  shows  that  you  have  observed  and 
thought  about  things.  I  fancy  you  have  hit  the 
mark,  too,  and  I  congratulate  you." 

"  Oh !  one  ages  quickly  in  Europe — morally,  I 
mean.  But  do  you  know  what  astonishes  me 
most?  It  is  the  place  that  love  holds  in  the 
lives  of  all  these  Italians.  It  is  the  invariable 
theme  of  their  conversations,  and  it  is  to  it 
that  they  owe  their  animated  expressions,  their 
mellow  voices,  the  light  in  their  eyes,  and  their 
electricity — for  they  are  like  cats  for  electricity. 
When  two  persons  meet  they  talk  of  their  pri- 
vate love  affairs;  when  several  people  are  to- 
gether they  talk  of  the  love  affairs  of  other 
people;  and  right  through  the  whole  society 


428  Eve  Triumphant 

there  is  a  regular  current  of  intrigues,  flirta- 
tions, and  of  private  understandings.  With  us, 
love  is  merely  a  side  dish,  but  in  Rome  it  is 
the  principal  one." 

"  O  Dody !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ronald,  laughing 
heartily. 

"  It  is  the  truth,  and  it  exasperates  me.  Good 
heavens!  why,  there  are  so  many  things  in  life 
that  are  more  interesting.  The  Count  Ripalta, 
who  is  of  French  descent,  is  making  the  most 
praiseworthy  efforts  to  tear  society  away  from 
its  love  affairs,  and  its  gosvsip,  and  to  turn  its 
mind  towards  subjects  more  worthy  of  it.  He 
is  trying  by  means  of  lectures  and  matine~es  to 
stir  people  up,  but  he  has  his  work  before  him." 

"  It  is  surprising,  though,  to  see  how  our 
compatriots  love  Roman  society." 

"  No ;  for  there  is  a  great  charm  about  it, 
although  I  could  not  tell  what  the  charm  is.  As 
for  me,  I  like  it  more  and  more.  I  have  learnt 
to  weigh  my  words,  and  not  to  say  all  that  comes 
into  my  head — and  that  has  been  hard  enough 
to  learn.  When  I  set  foot  once  more  in  America, 
I  could  not  help  saying :  '  Ah,  now  I  shall  be 
able  to  talk  again ! '  Lelo  laughed  at  that  for 
a  week." 

"  Do  you  think  of  staying  some  time  in  New 
York?  " 

"  A  month  or  six  weeks,  perhaps.  I  have  been 
lucky  enough  to  get  that  pretty  Empire  suite  of 
rooms  at  the  Waldorf,  overlooking  Fifth  Avenue. 


Chums  of  Old  429 

I  only  hope  it  will  please  my  dear  husband.  I 
have  come  to  invite  you,  now,  for  to-morrow. 
The  d'Anguilhons  and  the  De  Keradieus  are  leav- 
ing in  three  days,  and  I  want  to  give  them  a 
farewell  dinner.  I  have  asked  Willie  Grey,  your 
brother,  Mrs.  Newton,  Mrs.  Loftus,  Lily  Munroe, 
and  Margaret  Daner,  the  very  women  who  were 
the  most  jealous  and  mad  about  my  marriage. 
It  will  just  be  a  little  unceremonious  affair. 
Lelo  will  not  get  back  till  late,  so  that  he  can- 
not come  to  call  on  you  first;  but  you  will 
excuse  him,  won't  you?  " 

Helen  looked  slightly  embarrassed. 

"  But  it  just  happens  that  we  have  an  engage- 
ment for  to-morrow." 

"  You  must  get  out  of  it  somehow." 

"  And  then — I  don't  know  whether  Henry " 

"  Whether  Henry  will  accept  an  invitation 
from  the  Count  and  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna?  " 
interrupted  the  young  wife  laughing.  "  I  will 
undertake  to  persuade  him." 

As  she  said  this,  Mr.  Ronald  appeared  between 
the  draperies  of  the  door.  He  was  paler  and 
thinner,  and  the  traces  of  physical  suffering  were 
still  very  visible  on  his  face.  With  her  nimble 
grace,  Dora  bounded  towards  him  and  threw  her 
arms  round  his  neck. 

"  O  Uncle,  what  happiness  to  find  you  safe 
and  sound  again ! "  she  exclaimed,  hugging  him 
as  in  the  olden  days. 

The  savant  drew  himself  up  under  his  niece's 


43°  Eve  Triumphant 

caress.  He  pressed  his  thin  lips  together,  and 
tried  to  disengage  himself  from  her  affectionate 
embrace,  but  she  clasped  her  hands  tighter 
together. 

"  Well,  is  this  how  you  receive  me,  after  hav- 
ing caused  me  such  horrible  anxiety!  Is  your 
displeasure  going  to  last  all  our  life?  '  The 
heart  of  the  good  man  is  an  abyss  of  hidden 
perversity ' — I  am  sure  I  read  those  words  once 
in  Proverbs,"  continued  Dora  audaciously. 
"  They  seemed  to  me  rather  strong,  but  you 
make  me  believe  they  are  true." 

This  time  Mr.  Ronald  could  not  hold  out,  and 
something  like  a  smile  flitted  across  his  face. 
His  niece  saw  it,  and  was  emboldened  by  her 
success. 

"  Come  and  sit  down  here,"  she  said,  leading 
her  uncle  towards  an  arm-chair.  "  We  will  give 
you  a  cup  of  tea,  and  that  will  help  you  to  get 
up  the  proper  sort  of  feelings  again  towards  me." 

After  waiting  on  him  very  attentively,  the  ir- 
repressible Dora  perched  herself  on  the  arm  of 
his  chair.  While  taking  his  tea,  Mr.  Eonald 
looked  at  her  in  a  way  which  betrayed  a  shade 
of  astonishment. 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  prettier?  " 

"  I  cannot  say  you  are  not." 

"  Well,  say  that  I  am — it  would  give  me  pleas- 
ure. Even  my  best  enemies  agree  that  I  am. 
It  does  not  surprise  me,  for  if  it  is  as  you  used 
to  declare  in  those  sermons  which  I  shall  never 


Chums  of  Old  431 

forget,  that  self -sacrifice  and  abnegation  beautify 
a  woman,  I  ought  to  be  a  perfect  beauty  by 
now." 

"  Yon  practise  those  virtues,  then,  now,  do 
you?  "  asked  Helen,  laughing. 

"  I  should  think  I  do !  But  I  am  not  com- 
plaining," the  Countess  hastened  to  add. 

"  Your  husband  does  not  complain  either,  I 
should  think,"  observed  Mr.  Ronald. 

"  Oh,  as  for  him — that  is  just  what  is  so  pro- 
voking! He  considers  that  my  conduct  is  per- 
fectly natural.  He  little  thinks  what  Dora 
Carroll  was  like.  These  Europeans  are  extra- 
ordinary; they  are  veritable  pachas!" 

"  And  how  do  you  get  on  with  your  uncle — 
his  Eminence?  " 

"  We  get  on  very  well  together.  In  fact,  he 
is  the  only  one  of  the  family  with  whom  I  do 
get  on  well.  That  reminds  me,  Helen,  as  you 
are  now  a  Catholic,  if  ever  you  want  the  Pope's 
blessing  or  any  special  permission  about  any- 
thing, apply  to  me,  and  I  will  undertake  to  get 
it  for  you." 

"  Thanks ;  I  will  remember." 

"  Just  to  think  that  you  should  have  become 
the  niece  of  Cardinal  Salvoni ! "  remarked  Mr. 
Ronald.  "  It  is  extraordinary,  though.  Do  you 
call  him  '  Your  Eminence '?  " 

"  No ;  I  just  call  him  '  Zio,'  the  Italian  for 
uncle;  but  the  word  is  not  as  familiar  as  it  is  in 
English  and  French.  It  always  seems  to  aston- 


432  Eve  Triumphant 

ish  him,  though,  when  I  just  shake  hands  with 
him  instead  of  kissing  his  hand." 

"  Oh,  he  must  often  be  astonished  at  you ! " 

"  The  fact  is,  I  am  a  revelation  to  him.  Just 
fancy,  until  he  knew  me,  I  believe  he  had  never 
met  with  any  one  of  an  independent  spirit  and 
a  modern  mind !  We  often  have  talks  together, 
and  I  suggest  a  lot  of  things  to  him, — American 
ideas,  you  know, — hoping  that  he  will  think  of 
them  again  if  ever  he  should  be  Pope." 

The  thought  of  a  pope  being  inspired  by  Dora's 
ideas  appeared  such  an  enormity  to  Helen  and 
to  her  husband  that  both  of  them  burst  out 
laughing. 

"  Oh,  you  may  laugh  if  you  like !  but  the  Cardi- 
nal is  always  asking  me  about  America.  It  is 
as  though  he  were  feeling  its  pulse  through  me." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  he  cannot  have  the  pulse  of 
a  more  sensible  woman  under  his  fingers !  "  said 
Mr.  Ronald. 

" Zio,  Zio,  you  are  not  respectful  enough!* 
observed  Dora,  with  her  imperturbable  good- 
humour.  "  Joking  apart,  though,  the  Cardinal 
and  I  have  the  most  interesting  conversations; 
and — do  you  know — I  believe  I  actually  under- 
stand now  the  organisation  of  the  Catholic 
Church." 

"Really!"  exclaimed  Helen.  "Ah,  that  in- 
terests me." 

"  Well,  it  is  just  simply  a  formidable  spiritual 
army,  of  which  the  Pope  is  the  general;  the 


Chums  of  Old  433 

higher  dignitaries  of  the  Church  are  the  officers 
who  work  for  its  temporal  power,  and  for  their 
own  respective  ambitions.  The  priests  are  the 
common  soldiers;  they  think  they  are  working 
for  God  and  to  win  heaven,  and  they  accomplish 
superhuman  things;  but  in  reality  all  this  work 
only  serves  to  increase  the  glory  of  the  Church." 

"  I  fancy  you  are  mistaken,"  said  Helen  rather 
drily. 

"  Not  at  all.  I  have  an  illustration  of  the 
system  under  my  very  eyes  in  the  Salvoni  Palace, 
in  the  person  of  the  Cardinal,  whose  dream  is 
to  become  Pope  and  to  increase  the  power  of 
the  Vatican,  and  then  in  the  person  of  Don 
Agostino,  a  poor  priest,  who  is  hypnotised  by  a 
vision  of  Paradise,  and  who  lives  only  to  save 
souls.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the  watchword 
of  the  higher  clergy  is:  'Everything  for  the 
Church!'  and  that  of  the  priests  is:  'Every- 
thing for  God!'  This  does  not  horrify  me  in 
the  least;  quite  the  contrary!  I  consider  such 
an  organisation  admirable  and  quite  necessary, 
and  I  have  much  more  respect  for  the  Roman 
Church  than  formerly.  It  is  really  very  great." 

"  Has  the  Cardinal  tried  to  convert  you? " 
asked  Mr.  Ronald  smiling. 

"  No,  never !  But  do  you  know  what  he  has 
persuaded  me  into? — that  fast  day  shall  be  ob- 
served in  my  house  every  Friday,  and  also  the 
days  before  certain  Church  festivals;  he  has 
given  me  the  list  of  them.  It  is  for  the  sake 


434  Eve  Triumphant 

of  the  good  religious  example,  he  said;  but  in 
reality  it  is  so  that  it  shall  be  known  in  Rome 
that  in  the  House  of  Sant'  Anna  the  command- 
ments of  the  Church  are  observed.  I  gave  in, 
because  he  seemed  to  want  it  so  very  much ;  but 
I  let  him  see  that  I  quite  understood  the  motive 
which  had  actuated  his  wish." 

"  He  has  a  very  fine  face.  Scribner's  Magazine 
gave  his  portrait  a  little  time  ago." 

"  Yes,  and  he  has  a  very  imposing  presence. 
He  would  make  a  splendid  pope." 

"  You  see  him  often,  no  doubt?  "  said  Helen. 

"  For  the  last  six  months  we  have  dined  with 
him  always  on  Sunday.  He  lives  in  the  Salvoni 
Palace — a  palace  which  is  full  of  beautiful 
things,  but  glacial,  as  though  neither  a  ray  of 
sunshine  nor  a  woman  had  ever  entered.  And 
in  those  magnificent  suites  of  rooms  there  is  a 
curious  mingled  odour  of  church,  incense,  old 
books,  old  bachelor,  and  tobacco — an  odour  of 
former  ages.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  there 
are  some  microbes  still  there  from  the  Middle 
Ages.  My  nose  has  been  worried  and  puzzled 
by  it  for  a  long  time,  but  it  has  at  last  grown 
accustomed  to  it,  and  even  likes  it ! " 

"  O  Dody,  Dody,  you  have  not  changed ! "  ex- 
claimed Helen. 

"  I  should  hope  not.  Well,  anyhow,  I  am  now 
quite  used  to  all  this  Italian  style  and  colour- 
ing, and  to  everything.  After  dinner  we  have 
some  fine  games  of  bezique  or  billiards.  His 


Chums  of  Old  435 

Eminence  quite  appreciates  my  little  social  ac- 
complishments, I  assure  you.  Joking  apart, 
though,  I  believe  that  he  really  likes  me.  This 
last  spring  I  did  something  very  wrong " 

"  That  does  not  surprise  me,"  remarked  Mr. 
Ronald. 

"Well,  never  mind;  I  will  tell  you  all  about 
it  some  day  if  you  are  good.  The  Cardinal 
thought  Lelo  was  in  league  with  me,  and  he  was 
very  cool  to  him.  Then  I  confessed  everything, 
and  he  never  even  lectured  me.  He  just  said,  as 
he  tapped  me  on  the  shoulder,  '  Figlia  mia,  you 
have  a  very  wicked  head,  but  a  good  heart.'  I  'm 
sure  he  misses  me  now.  Before  leaving  I  took 
baby  to  see  him,  and  he  gave  him  his  blessing, 
and  then  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  my  fore- 
head, and  held  his  ring  to  my  lips — a  lovely  ruby 
ring — and  I  kissed  it.  It  was  so  funny,  I  really 
could  not  help  it — he  had  hypnotised  me;  he 
did  n't  seem  at  all  like  my  billiard  and  b£zique 
player,  but  was  his  Eminence,  the  Cardinal 
Salvoni,  a  prince  of  the  Church  every  inch  of 
him.  If  he  should  become  Pope  I  am  quite 
capable  of  going  and  kneeling  to  him.  There, 
that 's  enough  of  this  subject !  "  said  Dora,  break- 
ing off  in  the  midst  of  her  eloquence.  "  I  have 
told  you  all  this,  so  that  you  shall  be  as  nice 
to  Lelo  as  his  uncle  is  to  me.  Since  a  Cardinal 
has  resigned  himself  to  having  a  niece  who  is 
an  American  and  a  Protestant,  you  can  very 
well  resign  yourself  to  having  an  Italian  and 


436  Eve  Triumphant 

a  Catholic  for  your  nephew.  It  would  be  queer 
if  an  American  and  a  democrat  had  narrower 
ideas  than  a  Roman  prelate.  At  the  time  of 
my  marriage  you  were  not  nice  at  all.  You  were 
like  some  guardian  in  a  play  who  was  in  love 
with  his  niece,  and  was  obliged  to  give  her  to 
a  handsome  young  man.  Lelo  was  very  much 
hurt,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  he  still 
has  a  spite  against  you.  He  has  all  the  Latin 
susceptibility,  and  is  horribly  proud.  If  you  are 
cool  with  him  he  will  go  off,  and  will  never  set 
foot  in  your  house  again.  That  would  make  me 
very  wretched,  and  spoil  all  the  pleasure  of  my 
trip.  We  must  sign  the  peace  this  very  evening, 
and  you  must  promise  to  be  very  nice  to  Lelo, 
and  to  be  my  b.est  friend  again,  as  in  the  old 
days." 

"  What  need  have  you  of  a  friend — you  who 
never  do  anything  except  what  pleases  your  own 
fancy?  "  said  Mr.  Ronald,  who  was  softened  in 
spite  of  himself,  and  yet  did  not  want  to  give 
in. 

"  Yes,  and  because  just  once  in  my  life  I 
obeyed  my  own  heart,  you  are  going  to  be  angry 
with  me  till  my  dying  day.  Is  it  logical?  " 

"  No,"  put  in  Helen  at  last,  "  and  it  is  unjust 
on  the  part  of  a  man  who  does  not  believe  in 
free  will,  and  who  declares  that  love  is  a  mag- 
netic wave,  a  fluid — and  who  is  even  trying  to 
invent  the  necessary  instruments  for  registering 
or  photographing  it." 


Chums  of  Old  437 

The  young  wife  sprang  to  her  feet.  Her  wide- 
open  eyes  showed  how  rapidly  her  brain  was 
working.  A  sort  of  awe  was  depicted  on  her 
face. 

"  Love  a  fluid !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Why,  that 's 
it — that 's  just  it !  Lelo  attracted  me  irresist- 
ibly. When  he  was  with  me  everything  seemed 
more  beautiful — the  very  air  was  different.  I 
can  feel  his  presence  even  now.  O  Uncle!  I 
believe  you  are  really  a  great  man !  " 

As  Dora  uttered  these  words,  Mrs.  Carroll  en- 
tered the  room,  accompanied  by  a  fine-looking 
Roman  nurse,  carrying  the  little  Guido.  Mr. 
Ronald  advanced  to  meet  his  sister,  whom  he 
greeted  affectionately. 

Dora  took  off  the  baby's  large  hat,  all  trimmed 
with  feathers,  passed  her  fingers  lightly  through 
his  thick  curls  of  golden  brown  hair,  after  which 
she  introduced  him  to  Helen. 

"  The  lovely  little  creature ! "  exclaimed  the 
latter,  not  in  the  least  affected  now  at  the  sight 
of  Sant'  Anna's  child. 

"Isn't  he?  And  isn't  he  just  like  his 
father?  "  said  Dora. 

"  Yes,  indeed." 

Dora  then  went  up  to  Mr.  Ronald. 

"  Uncle,"  she  said  gravely,  "  come  now,  he  was 
to  be  born,  you  know !  " 

The  savant's  face  was  suddenly  softened  by 
some  sudden,  deep  emotion.  He  looked  at  little 
Guido  an  instant,  and  then,  putting  his  arms 


438  Eve  Triumphant 

round   the  mother   and   child,   he  kissed   them 
both. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said,  "  he  was  to  be  born, 
no  doubt " ;  and  then,  in  a  lower  tone,  he  added, 
"  and  some  one  else  was  to — die ! " 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

TITANIA   CURED 

THE  Hotel  Waldorf,  in  which  Dora  had  taken 
up  her  abode,  belongs  to  Mr.  Astor,  the 
American  millionaire,  who  lives  in  England. 
We  have  nothing  yet  to  equal  it  in  Europe. 
There  are  suites  of  rooms  furnished  in  all  the 
different  styles :  Renaissance,  Louis  XIV.,  Louis 
XV.,  Louis  XVI.,  and  Empire.  One  can  dine 
by  candle  or  electric  light,  with  table-cloths  of 
Flemish  linen  or  of  silk,  and  with  Sevres  or 
Dresden  china,  or  old  Viennese  or  Chinese  ware. 
There  are  always  the  choicest  wines  to  be  had, 
and  one  drinks  them  in  the  most  beautiful  cut 
Bohemian  or  Baccarat  glasses.  The  chefs  are 
noted  for  their  skill  and  their  wonderful  recipes. 
Before  long  the  famous  "  Waldorf  Salad  "  will 
be  introduced  on  our  European  menus.  Most  of 
the  royalties  and  grandees  who  have  visited  New 
York  have  stayed  at  this  hotel  on  Fifth  Avenue, 
thereby  giving  it  the  proper  prestige. 

Dora,  who  had  learnt  to  take  into  account  the 
tastes  of  her  lord  and  master,  had  chosen  a  suite 
of  rooms  in  Empire  style,  the  sobriety  and  se- 

439 


44°  Eve  Triumphant 

verity  of  which  was  agreeable  by  contrast  with 
the  fantastic  splendour  of  the  rest  of  the  house. 
This  farewell  dinner  which  she  had  decided  to 
give  in  honour  of  the  De  Keradieus  and  the 
d'Anguilhons  was  merely  a  pretext  for  exhibit- 
ing her  husband  and  her  title,  and  for  showing 
herself  off  in  all  the  glory  of  her  new  social 
position.  She  had  invited  the  four  prettiest 
society  women  of  New  York;  and  although  she 
considered  them,  rightly  or  wrongly,  her  enemies, 
she  felt  sure  that  they,  flattered  by  the  prefer- 
ence shown  to  them,  would  talk  enthusiastically 
about  the  Count  and  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna, 
thus  exciting  every  one's  curiosity,  and  in  this 
way  preparing  for  her  the  success  which  she 
had  always  meant  to  have  on  the  occasion  of 
her  return.  The  American  woman  is  most  able 
in  choosing  the  necessary  instruments  for  the 
end  she  has  in  view. 

After  the  reconciliation  between  uncle  and 
niece,  a  reconciliation  which  had  made  them 
both  happy,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Konald  had  promised 
to  get  themselves  released  from  their  other  en- 
gagement, and  had  accepted  Dora's  invitation. 

During  the  whole  of  the  day  previous  to  the 
dinner  Helen  had  suffered  deeply.  It  was  all 
in  vain  to  keep  assuring  herself  that  she  was 
now  perfectly  indifferent  to  Sant'  Anna.  The 
thought  of  meeting  him  again  caused  her  great 
uneasiness.  Suppose  he  were  to  fascinate  her 
again  with  his  luminous  eyes  and  his  musical 


Titania  Cured  441 

voice!  She  was  afraid  now  of  those  unknown 
forces  of  which  the  human  being  is  the  play- 
thing. She  evoked  the  majestic  figure  of  the 
Brahmin,  and  it  was  as  though  she  felt  afresh 
his  mysterious  power,  for  her  confidence  came 
back  to  her. 

Mrs.  Ronald  was  no  heroine  of  romance.  She 
was  not  destined  to  reach  those  heights  where 
the  desire  to  please  and  to  be  admired  ceases. 
Eve  she  was,  and  Eve  she  would  always  remain. 
She  used  all  her  art  and  all  her  coquetry  in  the 
adornment  of  her  person.  She  wanted  to  appear 
as  beautiful  as  possible,  as  she  would  not  for 
anything  in  the  world  have  had  Lelo  think  she 
looked  older,  or  that  she  was  not  so  pretty  as 
formerly.  Her  triumph  must  be  complete. 

According  to  her  promise,  she  arrived  at  the 
Waldorf  early,  and  leaving  her  husband  in  the 
salon,  went  to  find  Dora  in  her  dressing-room. 
After  a  few  friendly  words  of  greeting  she  sat 
down,  and,  throwing  back  her  long  cloak  lined 
with  ermine,  appeared  in  all  her  beauty,  arrayed 
in  an  exquisite  dress  of  black  silk  muslin,  over 
white,  all  rustling  with  spangles. 

"  Oh,  the  lovely  frock !  "  exclaimed  the  young 
wife. 

"  It  came  only  last  week,  and  this  is  the  first 
time  I  have  worn  it." 

"  How  sweet  of  you ;  and  it  suits  you  to 
perfection." 

"  So  much  the  better." 


44s  Eve  Triumphant 

At  this  moment  the  door  was  opened  brusquely, 
and  the  Count  entered. 

"Ready?"  he  asked;  and  then,  on  perceiving 
the  visitor,  he  added :  "  Mrs.  Ronald !  How 
delightful  it  is  to  see  you  again !  " 

Helen  had  risen  to  her  feet  spontaneously  at 
the  sight  of  Sant'  Anna,  and  offered  to  him  her 
hand,  in  a  mechanical  way.  He  held  it  to  his 
lips,  and  their  eyes  met.  There  was  between 
them,  more  rapid  even  than  a  flash  of  lightning, 
a  transmission  of  thoughts,  sentiments,  and  im- 
pressions, one  of  those  psychological  instants 
which  make  human  destinies.  Mrs.  Ronald's 
eyelids  never  quivered,  and  she  felt  no  tremor 
even.  It  seemed  to  her  as  though  the  man  there 
before  her  were  some  one  else,  and  not  the  same 
whom  she  had  loved.  She  did  not  realise  that 
it  was  she  herself  who  had  changed. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  be  able  to  welcome  you  to 
America,"  she  said,  in  the  most  perfectly  natural 
tone. 

An  expression  of  astonishment,  mingled  with 
curiosity,  flitted  over  the  Italian's  face. 

"  And  I  am  so  sorry  not  to  have  come  in 
early  enough  to  have  called  on  you,"  he  replied 
politely. 

"  Never  mind.  By  way  of  compensation,  I 
had  a  visit  from  your  son,  and  we  are  great 
friends.  He  held  out  his  arms  to  me  at 
once." 

"  Ah,  he  is  a  true  Sant'  Anna,  you  see.     As 


Titania  Cured  443 

a  race,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  see  a  pretty 
woman  without  holding  out  our  arms  to  her." 

"  Lelo,"  exclaimed  Dora,  "  how  dare  you !  " 

"  But,  mia  cara,  it  is  instinctive  with  every 
man  of  taste  and  feeling;  and  then  it  does 
not  follow  that  our  advances  are  always  well 
received,"  said  the  Count,  with  a  touch  of 
irony. 

"  Your  little  Guide's  were,  I  can  assure  you," 
answered  Helen  gaily. 

"  Lucky  little  beggar !  " 

"  Instead  of  exchanging  madrigals,  look  at 
me,"  put  in  the  Countess,  stepping  back  in  order 
to  show  off  to  advantage  her  dinner  dress,  a 
long  tunic  of  Venetian  point,  over  a  skirt  <of 
hydrangea-coloured  silk  muslin,  lined  with 
rustling  silk. 

The  soft  material  showed  up  to  perfection  the 
outlines  of  her  slim,  graceful  figure.  On  the 
transparent  lace  bodice  a  cascade  of  magnificent 
diamonds  was  sparkling.  The  general  effect 
was  exquisite,  and  in  the  most  admirable  taste. 

"  You  are  charming !  "  exclaimed  Helen. 

"  Perfect !  "  added  Lelo.  "  Oh,  she  knows  how 
to  dress,  this  young  person  does !  " 

"  It 's  fortunate  that  she  does,"  remarked 
Dora,  very  delighted  to  meet  with  her  husband's 
approval.  Then  picking  up  her  fan  and  gloves, 
she  added,  rather  nervously :  "  On  the  stage 
now.  I  make  my  d£but  to-night  in  New  York 
in  the  r61e  of  the  Countess  Sant'  Anna.  I  hope 


444  Eve  Triumphant 

every  one  will  be  kindly  disposed,  and  that  we 
shall  have  a  pleasant  evening." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  the  room  known 
in  the  Waldorf  as  the  Astor  dining-room  pre- 
sented a  pretty  picture  of  a  modern  feast.  The 
room  itself  was  spacious,  with  mahogany  wain- 
scoting and  painted  panels.  The  large  round 
table  glittered  with  silver  and  glass.  In  the 
centre  was  an  artistic  basket,  filled  with  the 
choicest  fruits,  and  on  the  table  were  strewn 
roses  and  rare  orchids,  while  the  guests  them- 
selves were  well-chosen,  the  beauty  and  exquisite 
toilettes  of  the  ladies  being  a  pleasure  to  the 
eyes.  Among  these  American  women,  it  was 
easy  to  recognise  at  a  glance  those  who  lived 
in  Europe.  With  Madame  de  Keradieu  and  the 
Marquise  d'Anguilhon  the  transformation  had 
been  remarkable.  It  was  as  though  the  great 
ancestress  had  transmitted  to  them  a  little  of 
her  gentleness,  her  calmness,  and  indulgence. 
Their  expression  was  less  hard,  their  tone  less 
peremptory,  their  voice  more  modulated.  The 
change  in  Dora,  which  astonished  every  one,  was 
specially  due  to  the  influence  of  love.  It  had 
modified  her  expression,  her  features,  and  even 
her  manners.  It  had  put  soul  into  her  mocking 
eyes,  and  had  given  a  gentle  expression  to  her 
lips,  which  were  not  so  thin  now.  In  a  word, 
it  had  feminised  her. 

Monsieur  de  Keradieu,  the  Marquis  d'Anguil- 
hon, and  the  Count  Sant'  Anna  seemed  to  stand 


Titan ia  Cured  445 

out  in  relief  in  the  most  curious  way  amongst 
their  American  surroundings.  It  was  easy  to 
see  that  they  belonged  to  a  different  race  from 
these  other  men  of  thought  and  action,  with  their 
cold-looking  eyes  and  energetic  features.  Their 
faces  of  ancient  type  gave  an  expression  of  fragil- 
ity and  weakness,  but  there  was  more  light  and 
warmth  in  them,  while  their  bold-looking  mous- 
taches, which  Miss  Carroll,  of  happy  memory, 
had  qualified  as  anachronisms,  gave  to  the 
whole  face  a  certain  audacious  and  chivalrous 
expression. 

In  America,  since  the  late  war,  society  con- 
versation had  taken  a  special  character.  In 
spite  of  the  efforts  of  a  hostess  to  keep  it  on 
indifferent  topics,  it  was  always  being  brought 
back  to  the  burning  questions,  and  degenerated 
frequently  into  discussions  which  were  more  or 
less  courteous.  In  this  conflict  of  various  opin- 
ions, it  was  rare  if  some  one's  susceptibilities 
were  not  wounded,  or  some  conviction  offended. 
On  the  evening  in  question,  it  was  Jacques 
d'Anguilhon  who  unconsciously  opened  fire. 

"  I  am  delighted,  ladies,"  he  said,  looking 
round  the  table,  "  to  see  that  you  have  not  boy- 
cotted Paris.  Your  dresses  are  the  proof." 

"  The  fact  is,  we  had  n't  the  courage  to  punish 
ourselves,"  answered  Lily  Munroe,  a  beautiful 
brunette  with  violet  eyes,  who  was  seated  to 
the  right  of  Lelo.  "  We  are  blamed  for  it  by 
some  people.  It  is  true  that  Paris  deserves  to 


446  Eve  Triumphant 

be  boycotted,  for  it  has  not  been  nice  to  America." 

"  Not  nice  because  it  sided  with  its  own  race, 
and  with  a  weak,  dispossessed  country,  which  was 
incapable  of  struggling  against  a  rich,  young, 
and  well-armed  enemy !  What  should  you  think 
of  Paris  if  its  sympathies  could  be  bought  like 
its  fineries?  By  expressing  its  disapproval  in 
the  frank  way  it  has  done,  it  has  been  impolitic 
perhaps,  but  this  burst  of  feeling,  which  might 
have  driven  away  its  best  customers,  was  a  proof 
of  its  disinterestedness  and  ready  sympathy,  and 
I  am  sure  you  will  all  appreciate  that." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Charley  Beauchamp,  "  the  pro- 
hibition against  France  was  declared  in  the  first 
effervescence  of  jingoism,  and  jingoism  is  an- 
swerable for  more  dangerous  folly  than  heroic 
deeds.  Nothing  is  further  removed  from  true 
patriotism  than  this  precious  jingoism." 

"  It  was  an  American  woman  who  gave  me 
the  key-note  of  true  patriotism,"  said  Jacques 
d'Anguilhon.  "  My  modesty  does  not  allow  me 
to  mention  her  name,"  he  added,  glancing  at  his 
wife.  "  After  reading  the  Declaration  of  War, 
she  exclaimed :  *  I  only  hope  that  America  will 
behave  properly  in  this  affair.  If  my  country 
should  act  meanly  or  unworthily  I  should  sink 
into  the  ground ! '  " 

"  Yes,  that 's  just  it ! "  put  in  Henry  Ronald, 
his  usually  severe  face  lighting  up  as  he  spoke. 
"  Jingoism  is  merely  the  exalted  idea  we  have 
of  the  worth  of  our  own  country ;  true  patriotism 


Titania  Cured  447 

is  an  exalted  desire  to  see  it  superior  to  all 
others." 

"  And  superior  by  justice  and  humanity," 
added  Mr.  Beauchamp,  "  which  are  the  main- 
springs of  all  strength  and  true  greatness." 

"  I  always  thought  that  jingoism  was  an  effer- 
vescence peculiar  to  the  Latin  soul,  which  is 
always  like  an  overheated  machine.  I  see, 
though,  that  it  rages  in  the  United  States  quite 
as  much  as  in  France,"  remarked  Henri  de 
Keradieu. 

"  Yes,  but  with  us,"  answered  Willie  Grey, 
"  only  on  great  occasions ;  while  with  you,  it 
is  a  chronic  state  of  mind,  and  it  makes  you 
intolerant." 

"Intolerant!     You  consider  us  intolerant?" 

"  That  you  certainly  are !  "  exclaimed  the  Mar- 
quise d'Anguilhon ;  "  and  a  foreigner,  when  in 
France,  is  expected  to  think  as  the  French  do." 

"  Annie,  Annie !  "  expostulated  Jacques. 

"  Madame  d'Anguilhon  is  quite  right,"  said 
Willie  Grey.  "  During  my  first  few  months  in 
the  studio  of  Jean  Paul  Laurens,  I  used  a  certain 
Guide  to  Paris  as  a  weapon  for  defending 
myself.  I  had  come  across  a  perfect  gem  of 
a  phrase  in  it,  and  this  gem  was :  '  If  you  are 
unfortunate  enough  to  be  a  foreigner.'  I  used 
to  keep  my  little  green  book  in  my  pocket,  and 
if  one  of  my  comrades  became  too  aggressive,  I 
would  draw  it  out,  and  read  it  out  very  gravely : 
'If  you  are  unfortunate  enough  to  be  a  foreigner.' 


448  Eve  Triumphant 

My  little  book  become  the  ~bete  noire  of  the 
studio,  and  it  was  always  enough  for  me  to  put 
my  hand  in  my  pocket  for  my  comrades  to  change 
their  tone.  Finally,  they  burnt  it  for  me,  and 
after  that  I  must  say  that,  until  our  war  with 
Spain,  they  never  again  made  me  feel  '  the  mis- 
fortune of  being  a  foreigner.' ' 

"  This  exaggerated  jingoism  is  the  worst  thing 
for  your  country,"  added  Charley  Beauchamp; 
"  it  hinders  all  progress  and  stifles  the  liberal 
spirit.  The  adversaries  of  the  present  order  of 
things  make  use  of  it  as  an  instrument  of  hatred 
and  division.  Take,  for  instance,  anti-Semitism, 
which,  with  you,  is  nothing  more  or  less  than 
the  watchword  of  a  political  party." 

Henri  de  Keradieu  and  Jacques  d'Anguilhon 
looked  at  each  other  in  surprise. 

"  Anti-Semitism  the  watchword  of  a  political 
party !  "  repeated  the  Marquis.  "  Do  you  really 
think  so?  " 

"  Precisely — and  we  hope  it  is  so,  anyhow. 
France!  Why,  the  very  name  of  France  is 
suggestive  of  all  that  is  bright,  brilliant,  and 
generous.  One  cannot  associate  it  with  a  mani- 
festation as  barbarous  and  less  excusable  even 
than  the  anti-Christianity  of  the  Turks." 

"  I  agree  with  you  there,"  said  Jacques,  "  but 
at  bottom  there  is  this  terrible  antagonism  of 
race.  The  Jews  are  Orientals,  and  we  are 
Westerners." 

"  Well,   but  you   have  only   to   utilise  their 


Titania  Cured  449 

Oriental  qualities,  which  are  so  many  forces, 
and  by  no  means  despicable  ones  either,"  replied 
Mr.  Ronald.  "  England,  which  knows  how  to 
look  after  its  own  interests  better  than  any  other 
country  in  the  world,  understood  this.  It  let 
itself  be  guided  by  a  Disraeli;  it  made  use  of 
him  for  its  own  welfare  and  glory,  and  in  spite 
of  his  ancestors  having  eaten  quails  and  manna 
in  the  wilderness,  created  him  a  lord  and  a  peer 
of  the  realm.  Now  that  is  what  I  call  true 
patriotism  and  political  wisdom." 

"  Oh,  a  nation  that  is  really  strong  is  always 
liberal !  "  exclaimed  Willie  Grey. 

"  Then,  too,  what  miserable  questions  these 
questions  of  race  are ! "  continued  the  savant, 
with  an  expression  of  mingled  pity  and  disdain. 
"  Religion  teaches  an  ideal  fraternity  in  which 
no  one  has  ever  believed.  Science  alone,  by 
proving  to  man  how  strong  and  innumerable 
are  the  bonds  which  exist  between  all  human 
beings,  may  lead  him  on  to  true  fraternity." 

"  Will  you  promise  not  to  be  offended,  Mon- 
sieur de  Keradieu,  and  you,  too,  Monsieur  d'An- 
guilhon,"  said  Mrs.  Newton,  who  was  sitting 
next  to  Charley  Beauchamp,  "  if  I  tell  you  the 
impression  I  always  have  of  Paris,  which  an- 
noys me,  because  it  prevents  my  thoroughly 
loving  it?" 

"  We  won't  be  offended,"  replied  Monsieur  de 
Keradieu,  smiling  indulgently.  "  Tell  us  what 
this  impression  is." 


45°  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Well,  I  think  Paris  is  inhospitable." 

"  Inhospitable !  '* 

"  Yes,  and  it  is  a  pity — a  great  pity !  "  con- 
tinued Mrs.  Newton,  softening  her  hard  judg- 
ment by  the  way  in  which  she  pronounced  it. 
"  If  French  people  were  to  come  to  America  we 
should  be  delighted  to  welcome  them  to  our 
homes,  and  we  should  consider  it  our  duty  to 
help  them  to  see  and  know  our  country.  None 
of  you  ever  think  of  doing  as  much  for  us — no, 
you  certainly  have  not  the  bump  of  hospitality !  " 

"  What  a  terrible  reproach !  Do  we  really 
deserve  it,  though?" 

"  Indeed,  you  do.  I  can  give  you  an  ex- 
ample. One  of  my  friends  has  been  living  in 
Paris  for  fifteen  years.  She  has  relations  there 
who  are  in  the  best  society,  as  her  family  is  of 
French  origin.  She  has  done  her  utmost  to  have 
a  Franco-English  salon,  but  she  has  never  suc- 
ceeded; introductions,  dinners,  afternoon  teas — 
all  her  efforts  have  been  thrown  away.  At  her 
receptions  it  always  annoys  her  to  see  the  Pa- 
risians together  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and 
the  Americans  in  another." 

"  The  difference  of  language  is  no  doubt 
the  cause  of  that,"  suggested  the  Marquis 
d'Anguilhon. 

"  That  has  something  to  do  with  it,  certainly," 
said  Antoinette  de  Keradieu,  "  but  I  fancy  that 
there  is  another  reason  for  the  exclusiveness  of 
the  French.  In  their  home-life  they  have  more 


Titania  Cured  451 

laisser-aller  than  the  English,  or  even  than  the 
Americans;  and,  as  they  are  afraid  of  being 
criticised  by  outsiders,  they  prefer  keeping  to 
themselves." 

"  Then,  too,"  added  Annie,  "  they  are  terribly 
prejudiced  against  people  who  are  neither  of 
their  religion  nor  of  their  race.  I  am  always 
trying  to  destroy  as  many  of  these  prejudices  as 
possible,  but  in  this  precious  Old  World  one  has 
to  tread  very  carefully;  for  by  attempting  to 
go  too  fast  one  would  surely  miss  the  mark 
altogether." 

"  Bravo,  Madame  d'Anguilhon !  "  exclaimed 
Lelo.  "  I  congratulate  you  on  having  grasped 
that  fact.  There  's  an  example  for  you,  Dora !  " 

"  All  right,"  answered  the  young  wife. 

"  Only  a  Frenchwoman,"  continued  the  Mar- 
quise, "  could  ever  succeed  in  bringing  about 
this  union  with  foreigners,  and  it  certainly  would 
be  profitable  to  all  the  parties  concerned." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  Henry  Ronald.  "  I  have 
often  noticed  that  the  knowledge  of  French 
makes  an  Englishman  or  an  American  more 
genial,  and  enlarges  his  mental  horizon,  while 
the  knowledge  of  English  renders  a  Frenchman 
more  serious  and  correct." 

"  Oh,  well,  let  us  hope,  then,  that  one  of  these 
days  a  Parisian  woman  will  be  found  capable  of 
breaking  the  ice  for  us ! "  said  Lily  Munroe, 
laughing.  "  We  '11  put  up  a  statue  in  her 
honour ! " 


452  Eve  Triumphant 

"  Capable  of  breaking  the  ice ! "  repeated 
Jacques,  smiling.  "  It  is  n't  very  thick.  You 
have  more  affinity  with  us  than  with  the  English. 
You  are  not  Saxon,  after  all." 

"  No?  What  are  we,  then?  "  asked  Margaret 
Daner,  opening  her  eyes  wide  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Americans." 

"  You  are  right,  Monsieur  d'Anguilhon,"  said 
Henry  Ronald.  "  Nature  is  repeating  here  what 
she  did  formerly  for  you.  In  order  to  create 
the  French,  she  blended  the  Celts,  Latins,  and 
Franks;  to  create  the  Americans,  she  is  now 
amalgamating  the  English,  Irish,  Scotch,  Dutch, 
Germans,  and  Latins;  and  from  her  United 
States  laboratory  a  new  race  is  gradually  being 
turned  out." 

"  A  race  which  probably  has  a  great  destiny," 
said  the  Marquis. 

"  I  believe  it  has." 

"  Speaking  of  race,"  said  Henri  de  Keradieu, 
"  you  have  probably  read  a  certain  article  in  a 
review  which  professes  to  prove  that  the  French 
nobility  is  extinct?  " 

The  eyes  of  all  the  ladies  sparkled  with  in- 
terest. 

"  Yes,  many  of  the  papers  copied  it,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Eonald. 

"  Of  course  they  would.  Well,  don't  be 
dismayed  about  it.  The  Eevolution  certainly 
thinned  the  ranks  of  the  aristocracy,  but  it  did 


Titania  Cured  453 

not  destroy  it,  any  more  than  the  phylloxera 
destroyed  all  our  celebrated  vintages.  There 
are  still  men  of  noble  lineage  in  our  country, 
just  as  there  are  still  wines  of  rare  and  exquisite 
flavour — like  this,  for  instance,"  he  added,  rais- 
ing his  glass,  ruddy  with  old  Chambertin.  "  It 
would  be  no  easy  thing  to  exterminate  the  aris- 
tocracy. I  remember  seeing  an  Arab  tribe,  near 
Tunis,  which  prided  itself  on  its  name — the  Beni- 
Franzoun,  '  Sons  of  Frenchmen.'  It  has  on  its 
banner  the  French  fleur-de-lis,  and  the  members 
of  the  tribe  claim  descent  from  the  companions 
of  St.  Louis.  The  men  were  fair,  with  blue  eyes, 
and  drooping  moustaches  like  the  Gauls." 

"  Oh,  that  is  very  curious !  "  exclaimed  Sant' 
Anna. 

"  If,  after  the  revelations  of  this  review,  there 
should  still  be  an  American  woman  willing  to 
marry  a  French  nobleman,  which  I  doubt  very 
much,"  added  Henri  de  Keradieu,  in  a  mocking 
tone,  "  I  would  advise  her  to  make  sure  of  the 
blue  blood.  It  can  be  recognised  at  the  first 
glance,  and  is  the  best  guaranty  of  origin.  If 
a  man  has  it,  I  would  say  marry  him  without 
any  fear.  He  is  authentic." 

"  Yes,  yes,  marry  him !  "  echoed  Annie,  laugh- 
ing merrily. 

"  It  is  just  as  though  we  had  been  brought 
together  here  at  the  Waldorf,  so  that  we  might 
have  an  opportunity  of  coming  to  an  understand- 
ing on  certain  matters  which  have  caused  a  slight 


454  Eve  Triumphant 

constraint  between  us — isn't  that  so?"  asked 
Willie  Grey,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  replied  Jacques,  "  and  I  am 
sure  that  when  we  separate,  a  few  days  hence, 
we  shall  all  understand  each  other  better  for 
this  little  conversation." 

"  Why  don't  you  wait  for  us,  Monsieur  d'An- 
guilhon?  "  asked  Dora.  "  It  would  be  such  fun 
for  us  all  to  go  home  together." 

"  I  must  be  in  Paris  for  the  opening  of  Parlia- 
ment. You  see  Annie  persuaded  me  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  take  local  interests  in  hand.  I  al- 
lowed myself  to  be  nominated  by  way  of  easing 
my  conscience,  with  the  secret  hope  that  I  should 
not  be  elected — and,  after  all,  I  was  elected. 
When  one  has  an  American  wife,  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  remain  idle." 

"  Dora ! "  exclaimed  Lelo,  with  a  comical  ex- 
pression of  fright,  "  I  hope  you  won't  ask  me  to 
exert  myself  to  make  the  people  happy.  I  should 
protest,  I  warn  you." 

"Never  fear;  I  will  be  satisfied  if  you  exert 
yourself  to  make  me  happy." 

"  Ah,  so  much  the  better !    I  can  manage  that." 

As  the  conversation  continued,  it  was  evident 
from  the  looks  and  words  of  the  guests  that 
there  was  more  and  more  cordiality  and  sym- 
pathy between  them.  All  through  the  dinner, 
although  monopolised  and  interviewed  merci- 
lessly by  his  two  neighbours,  Sant'  Anna  ob- 
served Mrs.  Ronald  closely.  Without  having 


Titan  ia  Cured  455 

any  suspicion  of  the  intensity  of  the  love  with 
which  he  had  inspired  her,  he  had  felt  convinced 
that  she  had  really  cared  for  him.  The  remem- 
brance of  the  look  of  anguish  he  had  seen  on  her 
face  on  leaving  the  Italian  consulate  the  day 
of  his  marriage  had  many  a  time  since  brought 
a  smile  of  triumph  to  his  lips.  Since  he  had 
been  in  America  he  had  often  thought  of  Helen, 
and  had  secretly  desired  to  meet  her  again. 
When  he  met  her  again,  with  his  keen  Italian 
intuition  he  had  felt  that  she  was  perfectly  in- 
different to  him  now,  that  the  magnetic  power 
of  which  he  was  so  proud  had  no  longer  any 
effect  on  her.  This  had  caused  him  intense  dis- 
appointment. "  They  are  all  the  same,"  he  said 
to  himself,  by  way  of  consolation ;  "  there  is  some 
one  else  now,  of  course !  " 

Never  had  Helen  seemed  to  him  so  desirable 
as  this  evening.  Her  spangled  dress  reflected 
its  glitter  on  her  complexion,  and  showed  up  to 
perfection  the  rich  colour  of  her  hair  and  the 
dazzling  whiteness  of  her  shoulders.  Her  blon- 
dcur  fascinated  him  afresh,  so  that  his  eyes  were 
full  of  admiration  as  they  rested  on  her.  Mrs. 
Ronald  met  his  gaze  fixed  on  her  frequently,  and 
braved  it  with  calm  assurance,  for  it  was  power- 
less now  to  move  her  in  the  slightest.  She  ex- 
amined the  Count  stealthily,  and  her  face  took 
an  expression  of  astonishment,  mingled  with 
disdain.  Under  what  magic  influence  had  she 
been  to  have  believed  that  he  was  so  superior? 


456  Eve  Triumphant 

He  was  admirably  fitted  for  his  rdle  of  Roman 
grand  seigneur;  he  was  handsome,  pleasant,  and 
generous — but  that  was  all.  She  saw  him  now 
as  he  really  was,  with  his  weary  soul  steeped  in 
the  traditions  of  the  past,  his  incurable  indif- 
ference, his  weakness  of  character.  With  cul- 
ture, he  might  have  become  an  able  politician 
and  diplomatist,  but  he  had  not  had  that  cul- 
ture. His  mind  was  fallow,  he  was  incapable 
of  interesting  himself  above  and  beyond  the 
various  little  events  of  society  life;  incapable, 
above  all,  of  loving  deeply  or  faithfully.  How 
she  might  have  suffered  through  him!  At  this 
thought  she  shuddered,  and  glanced  instinctively 
at  Mr.  Ronald.  What  intellectual  power  there 
was  in  the  shape  of  his  brow;  what  purity  in 
those  eyes,  which  were  those  of  a  searcher,  and 
which  never  saw  base  or  unworthy  things;  what 
beauty  there  was  about  that  mouth  made  for 
truth!  It  had  all  been  a  dream,  a  nightmare, 
surely.  She  had  been  mad — perfectly  mad! 
And  now  Sant'  Anna  might  come  or  go,  flirt  or 
fall  in  love,  without  any  of  his  acts  or  senti- 
ments finding  an  echo  within  her.  The  con- 
sciousness of  this  made  her  as  joyous  as  a  child. 
Several  times  she  drew  a  long  breath  for  the 
mere  pleasure  of  feeling  how  free  her  heart  was. 
The  communication  between  Lelo  and  herself 
had  been  cut,  and  her  soul  was  filled  with  grati- 
tude towards  the  man  to  whom  she  attributed 
this  miracle. 


Titania  Cured  457 

After  dinner,  Sant'  Anna,  curious  to  know 
whether  Helen's  indifference  were  not  feigned, 
went  up  to  her,  and  managing  very  cleverly  to 
get  her  away  from  the  others,  led  her  to  one  of 
those  tete-ct-tete  seats  specially  invented  for 
flirtations. 

"  Well,  my  dear  Aunt,"  he  began,  gazing  at 
her  with  eyes  full  of  admiration,  "  and  what  do 
you  think  of  this  last  surprise  which  Fate  has 
been  keeping  in  store  for  us?  I,  Lelo,  enter- 
taining you  in  New  York  at  the  Waldorf  Hotel, 
Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty-third  Street ! " 

"  Why,  I  think  it  a  very  agreeable  surprise. 
What  do  you  think  of  it?  " 

"  Delicious,  and  above  all  things  astound- 
ing !  How  is  one  not  to  believe  in  fatality  after 
this!" 

"  Oh,  don't  use  that  word !  It  implies  the 
idea  of  luck,  of  blind  brute  force,  and  Providence 
is  not  that.  We  are  God's  workers,  His  uncon- 
scious collaborators.  He  leads  us  towards  far- 
distant  goals,  of  which  we  know  nothing;  but  in 
the  end  everything  is  always  sure  to  come  right 
—and  for  every  one,  too." 

These  words  made  an  impression  on  Lelo.  He 
felt  that  the  woman  who  had  uttered  them  was 
out  of  his  power  for  ever.  He  ventured,  never- 
theless, on  one  last  thrust. 

"  Then,  according  to  you,"  he  said,  "  from  the 
Rue  de  Rivoli,  where  I  first  met  you,  right  on 
to  the  Waldorf,  where  we  now  find  each  other, 


458  Eve  Triumphant 

all  the  incidents  and  events  were  decreed?  All 
of  them?  " 

Helen  met,  without  flinching,  the  gaze  which 
accompanied  these  last  words. 

"  All,"  she  replied,  braving  him  superbly. 
"  They  were  necessary.  I  am  convinced  of 
that." 

"  If  Eve  is  to  be  philosophical,  it  will  be 
terrible !  "  said  Sant'  Anna. 

"  For  the  tempter,  yes,"  answered  Mrs.  Ron- 
ald, smiling;  "but  very  fortunate  for  Adam. 
And  now,  my  dear  nephew,"  she  added,  in  quite 
a  society  tone,  "  we  shall  all  do  our  utmost  to 
spoil  you,  and  to  make  your  stay  in  New  York 
so  agreeable  that  you  will  proclaim  us  the  most 
charming  women  in  the  world.  That  is  one  of 
our  ambitions." 

During  this  conversation,  Charley  Beauehamp, 
the  chivalrous  and  discreet  brother,  who  had 
guessed  everything,  and  feared  everything,  kept 
his  eyes  on  the  two,  and  went  away  by  himself 
to  a  corner  of  the  room  in  order  to  watch  them. 
He  looked  anxious  and  uneasy  at  first,  but  grad- 
ually his  expression  became  more  serene,  and 
finally  he  gave  a  sigh  of  relief.  On  leaving  Lelo, 
Mrs.  Ronald  went  across  to  him. 

"  Why  are  you  gazing  at  me  so  to-night?  "  she 
asked,  tapping  his  arm  with  her  fan. 

"  Because  I  have  never  admired  you  so  much," 
he  answered. 

A  faint  blush  passed  over  her  face. 


Titania  Cured  459 

"  That 's  right,"  she  said  gravely. 

A  little  later,  when  Helen  found  herself  alone 
with  her  husband  in  the  carriage,  which  was 
taking  them  home,  she  suddenly  slipped  her  hand 
into  his.  Without  speaking,  Henry  Ronald 
pressed  it,  and  held  it  there  firmly.  She  drew 
closer  to  him,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  drive 
was  quite  silent,  feeling  profoundly  happy,  witli 
an  exquisite  sensation  of  true  love,  security,  and 
protection.  When  she  entered  her  dressing- 
room,  still  wrapped  in  her  long  cloak,  she  went 
straight  up  to  Willie  Grey's  picture,  and  wTith 
an  accent  of  joy  and  triumph  impossible  to 
describe,  she  exclaimed: 

"  Cured,  Titania !     Cured ! " 


THE  END 


Myrtle  Reeds  Jfew  Book 

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